Housekeeping
by lvmehtme
Summary: Derek is a busy novelist with no time to care about or clean up his house. After he's made aware of the condition of his house he hires help from a housekeeping agency. Stiles is having financial trouble and takes on a load of jobs to help take care of himself and his father. Warning: male relationship, sex in later chapters, slow development
1. Chapter 1

Derek really didn't want to do this. He'd tried doing it on his own but to no avail. It was terrible. He needed to hire someone for this.

A couple of weeks ago he'd gotten a surprise visit from his older sister Laura which had not gone well simply because his house was an absolute disaster. Trash bags were piled high along the walls and some piles had grown until they reached halfway up the walls and were spilling into the messy walkways. His kitchen was completely unreachable with the sheer amount of trash and _things_ piled absolutely everywhere.

"You are absolutely disgusting!" his sister had yelled at him where he was trying to ignore her and write the next chapter to his latest novel. A book was thrown at the back of his head and she somehow managed to nail him with the thick spine of the book.

"Laura, it doesn't bother me and how I live is no concern of yours." He growled and turned around in his comfy swivel chair to glare at his sister. "No one ever comes over, except for you this one time, so I have no need to keep up appearances."

Laura was fuming, face red and puckered with anger. "I don't care that it doesn't bother you. You could live in a dung heap and not care, which you practically are. Appearances don't even matter! I'm saying this because this isn't good for you! This _mess_ is unhealthy!" Laura paused and looked around at the mess and Derek watched with suspicion as her face transformed and lit up with an idea.

"Laura, I don't care what you say. I'm fine. I'm not going to change just because you…"

"What would mom say if she saw this?" Laura interrupted, a smug face taking over her angry one. "What about dad?"

She whipped out her cell phone and was clicking away photos before Derek could launch himself at his sister. Quickly she raced from the room, snapping photos of the rest of the house on the way to the front door, carefully avoiding tripping over the trash. Once she was standing on the doorstep she turned around and snapped a photo of Derek stalking after her over the trash piles, showing the entirety of the mess.

"Hold it, all I have to do is hit the send button and both of them'll know." Laura said, holding the phone close to her person, protecting it.

Derek let out a snarl, exposing sharp canines but stopped just before the doorway. "Laura." He said threateningly low. "They swore to stay out of my personal life as long as I checked in every now and again to tell them how I am. I'm fine. They don't need to see my house."

"Well, I certainly think they do. This is absolutely appalling and you know how much they like cleanliness. Besides," she continued with an evil glint in her eye, "they want to see you bring someone home soon. They've been talking about it for a while now, I'm sure they've talked to you about getting a girlfriend at least once."

Derek growled and bared his teeth. "I don't need anyone. _I'm fine_." He snarled again.

Laura straight up laughed and put her phone in her purse before reaching out to pat his cheek. "You keep telling yourself that. I'm sure eventually you'll come to see that it's a total lie." She said condescendingly.

"Just…leave me alone. I don't need someone to tell me how to live. If you're so concerned about the trash I'll fix it."

"Fix it as in throw it into your backyard like I know you've been doing when it gets too much or fix it as in actually cleaning up and making it presentable?"

"Whatever. Keep mom and dad out of this. And Cora." He tacked on as an afterthought because if she told his parents his mom would probably come marching over here herself and he really didn't need that, especially while working on his book.

"How about I come and check on you again next month." She stated, not even asking. "I expect it to be spotless! Bye Der-bear!" she said and swiftly planted a kiss on his stunned cheek before skipping to her car and disappearing through the trees down his long driveway.

Derek had stood there for a few minutes longer, trying to wrap his head around what had just happened. Rapidly he turned on his heel and stared at the mess of his house. Laura expected him to have this _spotless_ in only a _month_?! What kind of wolfsbane laced drugs was she on to think he could do all that while also working on his book in a _month?!_

Slowly he turned back around and shut the door and locked it before trudging back to his room and sitting back down in front his laptop, staring at the sentence he'd been writing when he'd been interrupted so rudely. He was never going to get this done. He groaned loud and long and settled his face into his hands.

Tomorrow, he'd start tomorrow, but right now he just needed to get this chapter done and sleep. He hadn't slept the night before since the ideas had been flowing. Now though he was quickly drying up on his inspiration. Damn it Laura!

The anger had his fingers flying over the keys, words speeding across the page as he tuned out everything else.

After that unpleasant visit he spent days procrastinating or only doing a little bit at a time, picking up his room first by simply shoved all the trash out into the corridor. He always went out to pick up take-out since he couldn't use his kitchen anyways so he mainly only had to pick up a bunch of empty food containers or chip bags or wrappers of some sort.

Two weeks later saw only a few piles cleaned up and only another two weeks before Laura was due back. He'd hardly been able to concentrate on his novel because of this stupid cleaning and nothing had even changed! After staring at the horrid mess for another hour he finally admitted he had a problem. How could he have let it get this bad? From his room it never really looked all that bad and was easy enough to ignored but once he really started digging around he was more than a little disgusted to find that ants and varies other bugs had made his house their home as well.

Finally he gave up and plopped down in front of his laptop and opened up a new tab, typing in '_house cleaning_' and groaned at the number of results. Deleting his search he typed in a new one. '_Housekeeping, hired help, Beacon Hills_' and even though the number of results hadn't really gone down the first few results that popped up looked promising to help him with his problem. The first one was actually a fetish site offering to send out a 'maid' to help 'clean his house' and 'take care of all his other problems'. He quickly backed out of that site and clicked the next one. This one was actually what he was looking for.

'_Not enough time to clean up? Too much work to do? No problem! Order one of our employees and we'll have your place in no time! Call 111-111-1111 now to get in house help for a low hourly fee!_' Derek scrunched his nose at the cheesy advertising but quickly picked up his cell phone to punch in the number.

"_Thank you for calling __**Picker Upper's in-House Housekeeping**__! This is Pam, how may I help you?"_ an annoyingly fake cheery tone buzzed through the earpiece.

"Hi, I need some help cleaning my house. I hadn't realized it'd gotten so…bad." Derek growled through the phone, regretting calling and embarrassed but knowing he couldn't do this on his own.

"_No problem! What kind of cleaning do you need done? Is it the full house or just a bit of the house?"_

"Uhm, well, the full house. I need every kind of cleaning done actually. Also, whoever you send has to be ok with ants…and beetles…and just bugs, ok? It's a really big job."

"_Uh huh. Do you care about the gender of your picker upper? We don't have many employees who can deal with bugs in general."_

"I don't care, as long as they do a good job."

"_Alright, then before we go any further I'll have to register you into the system so that when your picker upper is done they'll get paid appropriately. How would you like to pay, cash, credit, or check?"_

"Do you take Visa?" Derek asked and retrieved his wallet from his bedside table.

"_Yes we do! I'll need your name, number, address, email, and card number."_

"Derek Hale, 212-212-2121, 1234 General Road, derekhale , and 1234 5678 9101. Is that all?" **(Hurray for generic number/name thingy!)**

"_Let me get you into the system and see who's available. When would you like them to start?"_

"Today if possible. If not then tomorrow."

"_Please hold for one moment while I check to see picker upper availabilities."_

Derek's ear was immediately filled with horrid elevator music and pulled the phone away from his ear, set it onto the table and started browsing through the site. There wasn't much to it, just going through basic services provided, where they were located, and a couple picker uppers who were on the 'most recommended' list. They were all females but that didn't really surprise him, nor did he care. The music cut off a few minutes later and he instantly put the phone back to his ear.

"_Alright, we have a picker upper about half an hour from your location that fits your needs. If you'd like I can give them a call for you and call you back as soon as I hear from them to make sure that you're available to receive your picker upper!"_

"That's fine."

"_Great! Thank you for choosing __**Picker Upper's in-Housekeeping**__! You'll be hearing from us regularly while the picker upper is in your care. I'll email you the rules and guidelines for housing a picker upper and as soon as it's signed, sent back, and approved the picker upper will be on your doorstep within the day! Have a great day!"_

Without waiting for a response from Derek the line cut out and Derek was left feeling a mixture of relief and anxiety. This was the first time ever doing something like this and he wasn't quite sure what kind of person this picker upper was supposed to be. Quickly he checked his email and the rules and guidelines were already in his inbox. Without really reading through it he signed it electronically and sent it right back. Not even five minutes passed before his confirmation pinged into his inbox saying the picker upper would be arriving at his address within the next few hours.

Derek blew out a breath and closed out of the tabs in laptop and shut it. He picked himself up out of his chair and grabbed a random shirt, underwear, and pants from the clean laundry pile he'd done a couple days ago and trudged to his bathroom which was actually pretty clean despite the rest of his house. The least he could do was make sure that he was clean even if his house wasn't.

The hot water wasn't working in his bathroom but he didn't really care. The path was blocked to his other bathroom so he didn't know if it was just his bathroom or the whole water system was busted. He was in and out of the shower in ten minutes and spent a longer time fixing up his scraggly beard into the stubble he preferred it in before exiting the bathroom. He put on deodorant and combed out his damp hair before settling into his chair and opening his laptop to type as much as he could before the picker upper got there.

It didn't take long, much sooner than Derek expected, for the sound of a vehicle blaring obnoxiously loud music to pull into his driveway and approach his house. The doorbell was rung and a few good knocks resounded through his house before he got up so he didn't seem like he'd been waiting anxiously for them to arrive. Quickly he saved his document and shut his computer before he went to answer the door, a scowl in place as he listened to the restless body on the other side of it. Without anything else to stall him he pulled open the door to reveal the picker upper.


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing Derek noticed was that the picker upper was male. The second was the close cropped, buzz-cut hair that made the boy's head fuzzy. Next were the bright, golden eyes that shined at him from behind dark lashes. The slightly upturned nose and the plumped, bowed lips, then the smattering of moles across his pale skin. After that Derek took in the entirety of the boy, his lanky thinness, long fingers as they gripped a duffle bag in one hand and a large bucket of supplies in the other, and the awful plaid, long-sleeved shirt on top of a graphic tee over ratty blue jeans. It took him all of three seconds to assess the awkward, restless kid before turning to let him into the house.

"Ah, hi there. My name's Stiles and you must be Derek Hale. I'd shake your hand but my hands are kind of full. Um, whoa…" the boy cut off his chattering as he took in the sight of Derek's living room. "They weren't kidding when they said it was a big job."

"You can start anywhere. I don't really have any loose objects or trinkets but before you throw something out that isn't in a trash bag ask me. Unless it's obviously trash, then leave me alone." Derek said as Stiles stepped into the house and shut the door after him with a shove of his foot.

Derek locked the door behind the boy and stalked away, stepping over the piles back to his room. He shut his door against whatever noise the boy was going to make and pulled open his laptop again. There was a knock on his door before he even had time to place his fingers on the keyboard.

"What?" he yelled at the door.

"Um, sorry to bother you right off the bat but I need to know where to put all my stuff."

"I don't care, put it anywhere. You're just here to clean."

"Right, um, I'll just…yeah, ok."

Derek listened to the boy's clumsy steps wander back into the living room before tuning him out and pressing the keys down under his fingers to form the next words of his novel.

Hours went by without too much noise outside of his room. A few times there'd be a rather loud curse or obnoxious singing but other than the constant rustling of bags and shuffling of feet Derek was able to ignore the fact that there was someone else encroaching on his territory.

Night fell without Derek noticing and soon there was another knock on his door followed by a long yawn. Derek had managed to get another thirty pages typed on his story and was glad with his much needed progress. He saved his document again before completely shutting off his computer for the night and getting up to open his door. Stiles stood there smelling only lightly of garbage despite how much he'd been working with it but looking thoroughly rumpled.

"Let me look at your work, and then you can go home."

"Huh?" Stiles asked, confused, while Derek scooted around him to get a look at his progress.

It was amazing really. The piles of trash that'd been in his living room had been completely removed, leaving a still dirty but thankfully nearly empty space. The hall and kitchen hadn't been touched yet but that was ok. That could be done tomorrow when the boy arrived again to resume his work.

"Good job. How many hours was that?"

"A little over five." Stiles answered from right behind him.

Derek turned and nodded at him. "Alright. What time are you getting here tomorrow?"

Stiles gave him a slightly baffled look as if he were slightly stupid and asking stupid questions. "You did look over the contract, right?"

"I skimmed over it. Why?"

"You know what 'picker upper in-house housekeeping' means right? It means we housekeep _in_ the house. It's required for the contractor to provide lodging for the employee, me."

Derek frowned long and hard at Stiles, making the boy shift from foot to foot uncomfortably. "I don't remember reading that anywhere."

"Yeah, because you _skimmed_ through it. It states in, like, the second paragraph of the rules and guidelines that the picker upper is to be provided with all the accommodations of the employer."

Derek growled low in his throat making Stiles take a startled step back. Pulling out his phone Derek pulled up his email and checked the rules and guidelines he hadn't really read and to his displeasure it was right there in paragraph two just like the kid had said.

"Damn it." He said and stalked past the fidgety boy and into his room to quickly pull out a few blankets from his closet and a spare pillow he almost never used.

"Uh, you know it's cool, I don't have to stay here. I can just call up the company and tell them what's up and we can set you up with someone who can do commute. I just can't 'cause I don't have the money for gas or food."

"No. You're already here. I should've looked over the contract more thoroughly and yes it's an inconvenience but I can deal with it. I don't have a spare bed but since my room is the only clean room you can sleep on the floor."

Stiles grimaced but accepted the blankets and pillow thrust at him. "Yeah, I guess that would work. I haven't even seen inside your room yet."

"It's nothing much."

Derek was a little tense when Stiles stepped into his room and immediately walked over to the bookshelf in the back corner to peruse through his books and CDs, then briefly looking in the closet before settling to stand beside the bed.

"You really don't have much. I was able to take a look in your kitchen and other rooms and there was seriously nothing in there! What do you eat?"

"Take-out. Hurry up and set up so I can turn out the light."

"Ah, right, bed. Dude, you have a gigantic bed by the way." Stiles commented as he laid one blanket on the floor then the other blanket on top of that before climbing under the top one and stuffing the pillow under his head, still fully clothed.

Derek flicked the light out and shucked his jeans but kept his grey Henley and black boxers on before climbing into his bed. There was some rustling on the floor but he ignored it as best he could, trying to sleep so that he could get through the next few days or however long it took for the boy to finish cleaning. There was only ten more days until Laura came back to check on his house. He needed the boy done and gone before she got there so that he could get rid of his smell. If Laura knew that someone else had cleaned his house there'd be even more ammo to use against him for his mom and dad. Then they'd insist he move back in with all of them and he just couldn't take that overcrowded, rowdy house. He'd never get anything done.

"What are we doing for breakfast? You don't have any food. I can cook you know, so as soon as I get the kitchen cleared out I can totally cook the meals."

"I'll drive to the store to get breakfast. Go to sleep."

"Right, right, sleep." Stiles yawned. "I'm really tired but I'm not used to this place so it's hard to sleep. You ever get that? The inability to sleep even though you're really tired?"

"Yes, right now is a prime example. Just shut up and close your eyes. You'll sleep faster that way."

Stiles gave a suffering sigh and shifted some more under his blanket but thankfully didn't say anything else. Derek finally settled back in to sleep but now his mind was awake again. He listened to the boy's heart as he slowly fell into sleep. It was weird having another person in his house, let alone in his room. Laura had just barged in two weeks ago but he'd voluntarily let this boy in, had asked him even! Derek felt pretty pathetic at this point though and just had to suck it up if he wanted Laura off his back.

After another fifteen minutes or so of clearing his head Derek finally fell into a fitful sleep, waking a few times during the night because of the oddity of having someone else in his house.

The morning alarm went off on his phone exactly at seven and woke Derek from a dreamless sleep. The boy was still asleep on his floor, sprawled out with half of his body uncovered by the blanket. Derek scrubbed a hand over his face and frowned at the tiredness in his body. He hadn't really slept all too well and wasn't quite ready to face the day yet but oh well, he had to suck it up.

Climbing out of bed he yawned and stretched, popping a couple of joints before heading to the bathroom. He used the toilet before washing his face and brushing his teeth. He fixed his hair quickly by carding his fingers through it before heading out again. Quickly he tugged on a clean change of clothes and his shoes. Stiles was in the exact same position and didn't look to be moving so he grabbed his keys and wallet and headed for the door.

The drive to the donut shop was quick and he picked up an orange juice for the kid and a coffee for himself along with a dozen different donuts before heading back. When he unlocked the door and slammed it behind him the kid was just making his way out of his room, scratching at his belly and yawning loudly.

"Duuude, it's way early in the morning. How are you awake right now? Did you even sleep last night 'cause I feel like a zombie and we crashed pretty early? Are those donuts?"

Derek watched awareness crawl through the kid and he just rolled his eyes and held out the donut box with the orange juice on top.

"Sweeeeet. You are too good to me. Mmmm." Stiles moaned as he grabbed the box with one hand and the cup with the other hand and sat right down there on the floor.

"Save a glazed and chocolate for me." Derek said as he stepped around him and into his room.

Despite how tired Stiles had looked coming out of his room he'd actually folded up the blankets and put them and the pillow in a neat pile in the corner of the room. This kid wasn't actually all that bad, except for the incessant talking and overall jitteriness. At least he knew how to do his job.

"These are amazing! The sprinkle donuts with the pink icing are my favorite! The white ones too!" Stiles yelled at him from outside the door and Derek just rolled his eyes.

Derek booted up his laptop and pulled up his novel document and started re-read through the last paragraphs to pick up where he'd left off before putting his fingers to the keyboard and began typing again. He only got through a page and a half before Stiles knocked on his open door. He turned around to look at him who was holding out the donut box and looking content.

"I left half for you. Thanks for breakfast and the juice. It was great. Do you think that I could shower real quick before I get to work? I feel kinda grubby."

Derek nodded and pointed to the bathroom. "You can leave the box of donuts on my bed. I'll eat them later."

"Okey, I'll just do that then."

The boy walked over to his bag and grabbed a change of clothes, his toiletry bag, and a towel before disappearing into the bathroom and locking the door behind him. The water started and Derek could hear the boy undress before he stepped into the stream of water and let out a loud yelp.

"Dude! You could have warned me about your water!" Stiles yelled.

A smirk lifted on Derek's lips and he shook his head as he continued typing. He sipped at his coffee as he continued typing. Soon he was lost in the words and didn't even notice when Stiles came back out of the bathroom with a peeved look on his face.

"You need to get your water lines checked." He grumbled at Derek as he stuffed his dirty clothes into a plastic grocery bag he took out of his bag before shoving it back in.

"I don't really care."

"Well, what if you catch a cold? You'll just get sicker if you shower or bathe in that water. What if your girlfriend comes over and she needs a shower? She'll have to freeze in that freakishly cold water!"

Derek just shook his head. "No one ever comes over here."

"Aw, that's just sad. So you always have to go over to her house whenever you meet? Well, I guess with the way that your house is I guess I can understand."

"No, I mean I never see anyone." Derek turned a stern glare on Stiles where he was zipping up his bag. "I don't date."

Stiles threw him a pitying glance which Derek returned with a glare. Stiles held up his hands and shook his head.

"Ok, ok, dropping it. I won't pry into your sad and lonely life."

There was a hint of humor there but Stiles was already running from the room by the time that Derek turned to berate him.

"Shut up and get to work!" he yelled out to him and simply got a quick laugh in response.

Derek shook his head and quick saved his progress before getting up and picking up the box of donuts on his bed and sitting down, pulling open the box. There were two chocolate, two glazed, one apple fritter, and a sugar coated donut left in the box. He'd eaten all the sprinkle donuts. Derek lifted a chocolate one to his mouth and bit into its sugary goodness. He loved pretty much all foods but adored sweets. It was completely contradictory to his looks and he rarely indulged in sweets but when he did it was like bliss. He quickly devoured the chocolate and glazed donuts but savored the sugar coated donut and apple fritter. After washing it all down with the last of his lukewarm coffee he went back to typing.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So, I keep forgetting to put author's notes, whoops. I've been pretty distracted lately since Thanksgiving is this week and Christmas is only a month away and then there are three birthdays and it's super hectic. Sheesh. Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading this next chapter. **

**WARNING: slow build male relationship and sex in later chapters.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Wolf**

**ENJOY!**

He was almost on his last leg of the novel but there was still so much left to do. First he had to finish it then he had to re-read it and after he'd read all the way through it at least once if not twice he had to go back through it and edit any mistakes. After that he had to add in or take out parts to make the story better or change entire sections or just little sentences or words. After he did that he re-read all the way through it once more to make sure it sounded right, exactly how he wanted it and if it didn't work then he'd have to edit that part. It was a long process that took at least a month or so to complete since all of his books were three hundred pages minimum.

Around noon he saved his work again and shut his computer before he went out to see how the boy was doing. The hallway leading to the stairs that led upstairs was clear but he could still see trash gathered in the rooms. He grimaced and wondered how the hell he'd managed to accumulate _so_ much trash! But then he really thought about it; it only took him a week to fill a trash bag with take-out containers and wrappers and other trash and he'd been neglecting cleaning for at least a year if not longer. Wow, he had a problem.

Swiftly he pulled his phone out of his pocket and sent a text to Laura saying: **I swear I'll never let it get this bad again**.

And he really meant it. Before Laura had forced him to wake up and look at what he was doing he'd been perfectly content with this but he really wondered how long it would've taken to fill the house to the roof with trash and what it would've taken to clean that up. He shuddered at just the thought. The phone buzzed in his hand and he looked down at Laura's reply.

**Damn right you won't. Let me see the progress.**

Derek went over to the open front door and took a picture of the clean living room, making sure not to get the hallway so his sister didn't get suspicious. He sent it saying: **It's a work in progress**.

Her reply was a bunch of exclamation marks followed by: **You still have the entire kitchen to go! Pick up the pace baby brother!**

**Yeah, yeah. Just be glad I'm doing it.** He sent back and pocketed his phone, not bothering to read the return text. Or the one after that. Or the one that arrived not three seconds after those two.

"Hey kid! What do you want for lunch!" he yelled down the hall where he could hear him rooting around in one of the rooms.

"Dude! Did you know that you have a keyboard back here! I found some seriously cool stuff in this room!" his muffled voice came from the back left room.

"That's great. Answer the question." He demanded as he walked down the hallway and leaned against the doorframe of the room to see the kid staring at a set of bongos he'd forgotten he had. "Hey kid!" he yelled again just to see him startle, which he did with great flailing.

"Dude! Don't scare me like that! You move like a cat!" Derek snorted at the irony. "Besides, I'm not a kid."

"You are very much a kid. Now answer the question, what do you want for lunch?"

"Uh, I don't know. What can I have?"

Derek shrugged. "I don't care as long as it's quick."

"Can I have a burger with extra cheese and a double helping of curly fries from that really awesome burger joint, like, fifteen minutes away?"

"Yeah. I'll be back in half an hour. Don't break anything."

Stiles looked offended at the implication but just waved a hand at him. "I won't. Hurry back, I'm starving."

Derek rolled his eyes and left him to his discovering and cleaning. They still had nine days to get the place clean but he wanted the kid out as soon as possible. He grabbed his keys and headed out to his Camaro and quickly drove down his gravel driveway and sped to the first intersection since the street he lived in wasn't really close to the town. A good ten minute drive going the speed limit at least, he estimated.

The burger joint was ten minutes away going about ten miles per hour above the speed limit and he was thankfully one of the only customers there on this slow Tuesday afternoon. Derek ordered Stiles order then got a double patty burger with the works and a side of cheese fries to go for himself.

The ride back was filled with sounds of both his car and his stomach rumbling and if he pressed the gas a little harder, then no one but him and the car would know about it. The door was open when he got back and trash bags were piled next to the boy's Jeep. The boy himself was banging around in the house so much that Derek could hear it with the car still on. It was even more pronounced when he turned the car off and climbed out with the bags of food.

Stiles was singing at a ridiculous level with ear buds connected to his IPod plugged into his head. He was in the process of shoving trash bags around in the kitchen and didn't hear Derek come in. Derek just stood there against the wall just inside the kitchen and waited for the boy to turn around. When he finally got to turning around the horrid singing turned into a horrid screech as he tugged the music out of his ears.

"Dude! I told you not to scare me like that! It's a terrible, terrible thing to do! Nearly gave me a…" Stiles bit his words off as sadness and bitterness soured the air.

Derek gave him a funny look but just held out the bag of food containing his burger and curly fries. "You wouldn't have heard me even if I'd said anything. Take a break and eat."

"Yeah, sounds good. What'd you get?" Stiles asked as he took his back and peered inside, his stomach growling when the savory scents of his meal met his nose.

"Food." Derek answered sarcastically and turned to walk into his room and wasn't all that surprised when Stiles followed him.

Derek sat on the bed and Stiles sat on the floor, which Derek was grateful for since he didn't want a mess on his bed. When he pulled out his food Stiles' mouth gaped.

"Duuude, you gotta let me try that. It looks amazing! How did I not know that they made those?!" he gasped like it was the worst folly of the century.

"Get your own next time and quit calling me dude, I have a name." Derek growled and bit into his burger.

"Then quit calling me kid." Stiles retorted and bit into his burger, moaning like a wanton whore at the taste. "Mmmm, sooo good! Have I told you that you're too good to me?" he mumbled around his mouthful before taking another bite and stuffing his cheeks like a chipmunk.

Derek didn't reply and was content to simply eat in silence. Stiles devoured his burger fast and sat munching on his fries while Derek savored each bite, taking it slow to fill up his stomach at a slower rate so he didn't feel hungry afterwards. As soon as he was finished he gathered up his trash and held it out to Stiles who took it without hesitation.

"Get back to work."

"Slave driver." Stiles said under his breath but snickered to show he wasn't serious.

"I'm paying you."

"Yeah, yeah." Stiles said and left the room to start working once more.

Derek just shook his head and got back to work on his novel. Things were going surprisingly smooth, he hadn't expected that. He'd expected hassling from the picker upper, asking a bunch of personal questions and getting all up in his business but Stiles wasn't like that. Sure he asked a lot of questions and was kind of goofy but it wasn't altogether unpleasant.

Things were quiet for a few hours until Stiles complained about being hungry again and this time Derek took him with him when he went out to the town to get some food at a Thai restaurant. Once they were full of khao phat kung (fried rice with shrimp), pad thai (noodles with shrimp and other ingredients), and kai jiew moo saap (a type of omelet), they headed back to the house to do just a bit more work before heading off to bed.

The next few days were pretty much the same. Stiles talked more and more each day as he grew comfortable with Derek and Derek sometimes actually talked back. Derek had asked where all the trash bags had been going and Stiles told him that he was taking a bunch of trips to the dump only twenty minutes away every time his Jeep got so full that he could only _just_ drive safely without the help of his center mirror. Derek actually helped some as well on the fourth day Stiles was there.

"You don't have to do that, it's what I'm being paid for."

"Well if it wasn't for my neglect it wouldn't have gotten this bad." Derek had argued and they'd left it at that until Derek decided to go back to his own work.

On the sixth day that Stiles was there they'd managed to clear out all of the trash from both upstairs and down and Stiles was in the process of chemically cleaning every surface he could. The ants were still rampant in the kitchen but there were only a few beetles left. They'd mainly crawled into one or two bags and stayed there and had gone with Stiles, double wrapped in trash bags, to the dump.

"You're going to have to use the ant spray later 'cause that stuff makes me wheeze like hell. My dad sprayed outside my window once and for a while there we thought I was asthmatic it was so bad."

"You seem sad when you talk about your dad. Why?"

Derek hadn't meant to pry but the bitter sadness that kept rolling off of Stiles was affecting him almost as much as it was affecting Stiles now. Stiles looked at him, startled, before looking down at the bug spray in his hands.

"Uh, well, he's kind of the reason I have this job. Not that he forced me into it or anything but…we'll really need the money soon and I'm trying to save up as much as I can."

Derek frowned at the roundabout way he explained it but just nodded instead of prying further. "Ok, I won't pry. I just…don't like the sadness."

Stiles gave a startled laugh and looked up at him with wide, sad eyes. "Well then you won't like me a lot 'cause lately I haven't been that happy. I mean, yeah, I can still act happy and experience the general feeling but it's kinda…buried. I don't know, it's whatever." He gave a short, jerky shrug with one shoulder.

Derek nodded and hesitantly put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. It was the first bodily contact they've had during his stay here.

"I hope it gets better." Derek said gruffly, a little awkward since he wasn't used to comforting anyone, or talking to anyone, or being around anyone…or anything to do with anyone else really.

But Stiles seemed to take a little comfort in that and patted Derek's hand before holding out the can of spray. "I do too. Now, let's finish cleanin' up this mess you've made." He said with a soft smile.

The rest of the clean-up went quickly and without a hitch. By the end of the seventh day everything was clean and taken care of with two days to spare before Laura came by to check on his house. Stiles was already packed up with his bag of clothes and bucket of cleaning supplies sitting by the door, ready to go. Derek was shocked to find his wolf stirring at the thought of losing a companion but quickly settled it back down, telling it that Stiles was nothing more than a stranger.

"Well, I guess that's that then. The bill's probably gonna be hella high though, sorry about that." Stiles said awkwardly as they stood in front of the closed front door.

"I'm not sorry. Most of it goes to you right?"

Stiles shrugged. "I think so. Some of it has to go to the desk workers too so I'll most likely only get fraction of the payment. It'll be the larger fraction though. I don't really know how they divide it. Never bothered to ask."

"You should probably ask. It's better to know you're getting your effort's worth."

Stiles smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'll ask. Let me know if you ever need a maid again and I'll be over in a jiffy."

Derek gave a short nod but didn't offer any sort of confirmation beyond that.

"Well, it's actually been really fun despite being here on a job and doing manual labor from dawn 'til dusk." He joked.

"You were up way after dawn every single day."

"Close enough." Stiles laughed before holding out his hand. "I hope we stay in contact. You're pretty cool for a grumpy dude."

"I'm not grumpy nor am I a 'dude'." Derek argued as he took Stiles' hand in a firm hand shake.

"Dude, you totally are. You have this whole scowly thing going on, but hey! I'm not complainin'!" Stiles laughed.

"Well _kid,_ the house looks nice, thanks for that."

"Anytime _dude_." Stiles smiled. "See ya around."

Derek gave a small nod and Stiles left just as quickly as he'd come, leaving Derek feeling scarily lonely in such a big open area in such a short amount of time. Feeling odd just standing there staring at his closed front door he went back to his room and threw himself into his work now that he had no more distractions.

He didn't sleep that night, writing through the dark and into the morning light. In that bout of concentration he'd finished the last few chapters and was now left looking at the ending sentence feeling like he was just as lonesome as the sentence.

"Wow, I'm getting soft." He muttered darkly as he saved his document and powered off his laptop.

Laura was due the day after so before he climbed into bed that evening he went through the house and opened all the windows except for the one in his room where Stiles' scent was the strongest. He'd grown so used to him in just that one week that the empty silence made something inside him sting and his wolf restless with loneliness. He spent the day lazing around the house, wandering through all the rooms he hadn't been in in what had to be over a year.

"Damn, maybe Laura was right, I do need someone around."

But just the thought of a stranger in his space, his territory, his den, made his wolf growl, which made him growl. Yeah, no, he definitely didn't need anyone else in his house. He'd just get used to the emptiness again and everything would be fine.

He stayed up until six that evening so that his sleep schedule wouldn't be thrown off too much and crashed until his alarm woke him at seven. Thirteen hours of sleep wasn't bad and he'd need to be as well rested as possible before he dealt with Laura.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So, this story is pretty slow going, I hope that's ok! Thanks for the favorites and follows everyone! I want to know what you guys think, how is the story? Too slow? Not enough content? Blah blah blah, whatever you want to suggest!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Wolf!**

**ENJOY!**

When Laura arrived it was in a whirl of movement, sweeping through the open space of his house before saying a single hello. "Wow! Look at how clean it is! I'd forgotten how big this house was!"

"Great, you've seen it, now go away."

Laura fake pouted as she sauntered back over to her brother. "Aw, but Der-bear I'm just so happy for you!" she said and put her arms around his shoulders. "Whoa, who's been here recently?" she asked, drawing back fast.

Derek looked at her, startled. "What?"

"Derek, you smell like you've been rolling around with another person for days. Who is it? Who's the lucky gal?"

Derek scoffed. "There is nobody else here. There _is_ no girl."

"Then who do I smell _all_ over you Derek? Seriously, it smells like you've been swimming in their scent."

Derek flushed as he glared darkly at his sister. Laura stared at him suspiciously before taking off to his bedroom and throwing the door wide open before Derek could tell her off.

"Oh yes, there was _definitely_ someone here recently."

The bed was still rumpled with the blankets that Stiles had been using spread out on it that Derek had put there a day after Stiles had left.

"Go away Laura. Nothing happened, ok? There is no special someone, no one's here, no one's coming back, and I'm not _with_ anyone."

"I don't get how you can say all that like it's true but there's all this evidence. Unless you have a magical disappearing genie girlfriend then I'm positive someone has been here for a lengthy period of time." She pauses and scoots in close to Derek, eyes squinted in suspicion. "It wasn't a prostitute was it?"

"Laura! No! What is wrong with you?!" he yelled and pushed her away from him.

She just shrugs and goes over to his bed to inspect. "Well, I guess it couldn't have been since it doesn't smell like sex. Did you have a friend over? I didn't know you had any friends."

"I don't have any friends." The words hurt more than he thought they would and it quickly shut him up, forcing him to breathe slowly.

"Oh, Der-bear, I didn't mean to upset you." Laura said, serious this time and wrapped her strong arms around him. "You don't have to tell me but I'm just glad that you finally had some social interaction. You should really get back on that playing field. Goodness knows you'd be hella good at it."

Derek gave a humorless laugh and just shook his head, patting his sister's arm. After a few minutes Laura sighed and unwound her arms.

"Well, whoever it was it seems like you formed quite a strong attachment. You shouldn't let that go Derek, it's good for you to have relationships."

Derek glared at her. "You _know_ why I don't, quit pushing me."

Laura held up her hands in surrender. "I know, I know. What happened was extremely unfortunate but you have to remember that not everyone is like her. Just look at me! I have an amazing fiancé whom I will most likely marry in a year or so."

"Not everyone is as lucky as you are Laura."

"Sure they are! When they go out there and take risks by meeting new people and going through tough situations they'll eventually get lucky like I have. You can do it Der-bear. Now go call whoever it was you've been rolling around with and stick to it." She said sternly.

"I have _not_ been rolling around with them!" Derek bites out, hard and bitter.

"Do you _want_ to roll around with them? How do you know _they_ don't want to if you've never asked? Which I know you haven't and probably never will simply because it's _you_."

"Gee, thanks." He said dryly and shook his head. "Look, Laura, you're a great sister and I'm happy for you but I don't want your advice. It usually gets me in trouble."

"Ah!" Laura scoffed, mock offended. "It does not!"

Derek leveled his gaze at her. "French macarons, mud pit in ninth grade, soccer in tenth, nail polish when I was eight, coca cola when I was eleven, rope swing when I was twelve, recreational wolfsbane when I was sixteen…"

"Ok! Ok! I got it! So maybe my advice isn't that great but I'm telling you from experience that as cliché as it sounds, there really _are_ more fish in the sea. Better, less psychotic fish I might add."

Laura laughed but Derek just scowled at her until she gave a long suffering sigh. "Just…give it another shot, ok? It was only one really bad experience nine years ago. Nine years Derek! That's a long time. Long enough to crawl out of this broody, sourpuss shell you've put yourself in. You're punishing yourself for no reason."

"Laura." Derek growled threateningly. "You almost _died._ Everyone was almost _killed_ because of me."

"It wasn't and we aren't. I'm alive. Kate was a psycho jealous bitchcake, ok? How were you supposed to know that the one you loved was manipulating you when she gave absolutely no hints to it before it happened?"

"Laura, I'm done. Drop it. I don't want to talk about, ever, that's it. I'm just…done."

Laura backed off once she realized that she'd pushed her brother too far and nodded. "Alright, but Derek? Never's a really long time." She kissed him on the temple and shuffled around him and through his bedroom door.

Derek followed a second later to see her to the front door.

"I love you Der-bear. Take care. Give mom and dad a call, they miss you. And keep your friend, they seem close. See ya."

"Love you too. See you later."

Laura left him feeling shell-shocked in front of his door as she shut it in his face. She'd really brought up things he wished he never had to hear about again, things he'd pushed deep into his subconscious and never wanted to bring out again. But there they were, the facts about his life at its darkest just pulled up until it was like a fresh wound again.

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! The next one should be out in a few days. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in America! And to everyone else if yalls want. **

**I'm a little concerned about this fic since there's been absolutely no feedback. Hmph, well, I guess that's just how things go, huh? If yalls enjoy it that's all I need to keep posting!... That sounded cheesy but it was true. Thanks for your support!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Ok, since yalls asked for longer chapters I'll start writing slightly longer chapters. It's difficult for me to judge where to cut them off. I had been sticking to five to six page chapters but this one is about ten so let's just start from there!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Wolf**

**ENJOY!**

Stiles felt dog tired on his way home after his shift at Carolina's Diner. As he navigated the familiar roads he caught a whiff of trash that still lingered even after two days and couldn't help but think back to his stay at Derek's. That had been his first successful in-house job, emphasis on the _successful_ part. There was no way the first job…or the second one…counted as successful in the least. When he'd first gotten the call he'd been unsure about actually taking the job since he had the option of declining but he really needed the money. They'd said it was a high profile job in his area which meant it would be a lot of work but it would also pay really well.

Derek wasn't anything Stiles thought he'd be. He was expecting some elderly gentleman who wasn't able to clean for himself anymore. Instead he got a young, _hot_, broody, _hot_, quiet, _hot,_ gentleman. Did he mention that he was really _hot?!_ If Stiles were smoother he'd have played up his maid 'services' but, unfortunately, he was too much spazz and not enough suave. Besides, there was no way a guy like _that_ would go for something like _Stiles_.

Stiles knocked away that thought when a spike of hurt burst through his chest at his own words. Whatever. He was damn amazing and nobody could convince him otherwise.

By the time Stiles parked his Jeep in the driveway of his empty house his train of thought was far away from Derek and thinking more of how to put his money to use. Over the last four weeks he'd accumulated a little over a thousand dollars, working three jobs night and day. Even the jobs he'd screwed up he'd still been paid for. This last job would get him at least three hundred if not more.

As he trudged up his driveway he quickly categorized where all the money would go once the bills started flooding in. There were medical bills, mortgage bills, electric and water bills, gas bills, credit card bills. Damn, there were too many. Stiles shook his head to clear the foreboding cloud darkening in his head while he unlocked the front door and stepped into an empty house. Since his dad had gone into the hospital the house had felt less and less like home and more and more like a tomb, or the inside of a coffin. It was nearly suffocating in its emptiness.

Stiles didn't feel like coming home anymore and was rarely home except to sleep. Any other time he could be found at either of his jobs or at the hospital. Sometimes Scott dropped by but he was busy with the summer lacrosse training season. They were about to go into their sophomore year of high school and Scott was dead set on spending his summer getting as much training in as possible so he'd make first line when school started up again. Stiles was right there with him until his dad started feeling sick.

Stiles shook off the heavy feelings weighing down his mind and chest and instead put his cleaning supplies right inside the door to the kitchen and made his way up the stairs to his room. It was early evening and he knew his stomach would start grumbling soon but right now it was in knots. So instead he kicked off his shoes and shrugged out of his jeans and shirt until he stood in the middle of his room clad in only his boxers. He let himself tumble onto his bed, bouncing a bit before settling into the familiar firmness of his mattress. A nap would do him good, especially since he'd been sleeping on the floor in an unfamiliar house for the past week.

He conked out for a good four hours before his stomach woke him with weak protests of hunger. Groaning he laid there for a bit longer, not wanting to get up, before he was forced from his bed by his persistent stomach. Yawning long and loud he trudged down to the kitchen, scratching at his stomach just above his boxers. It was times like this, lazy and unhurried, that made him feel like the sixteen year old he was meant to be, not the grown-up, mature adult he was forced to be as of late.

Slapping together a quick sandwich made out of the meager contents of his fridge, Stiles' train of thought finally led back around to Derek. Well, the awesome food he'd gotten while at Derek's. What he'd give to be able to eat curly fries every day. Stiles ate as he stomped back up the stairs to his room. Halfway up the stairs a sound filtered through his thoughts and the sound of his chewing and he had to pause and concentrate before he realized that was the sound of his phone going off in his room.

"Oh shit!" he cried, bounding up the stairs with his half eaten sandwich in his hand.

He made an impressive dive towards his jeans that lay in the middle of his floor and wrenched the phone out of his pocket. An unfamiliar number flashed on his screen but he answered it anyways since it could be any of his coworkers from his different jobs.

"Hello?!" he asked in a flurry, yelling in his haste.

"_Is this Stiles?"_ a gruff, male voice filtered through the speaker.

"Yes, and who is this?"

"_Derek Hale. I called because you left something at my house."_

"Oh, hey! I, uh, how did you get my number? I mean, what did I leave there?"

"_Your IPod."_

"Oh, shit, you're right. I hadn't even noticed. I've been so busy these last couple of days with my other jobs that I didn't even notice it was missing. Thanks for finding it, it was a gift for my birthday this year from my dad and I know it must've cost at least half his paycheck and…"

"_Do you want me to drop it off or do you want to come and get it yourself?"_ Derek interrupted his rambling.

"Oh, um, right, sorry. Uh, I'll come get it. I just have to check how much gas I have in the tank to see if I need to stop to get gas 'cause I have no idea when I last filled up was."

"_I'll just drop it off. What's your address?"_ Derek interrupted once more, sounding peeved.

"Uh, 4321 Random Street. Sorry about his man, I just really don't have much gas. I get paid next Tuesday at the diner and the Thursday after that at the carwash so I'm running kind of low on money. I swear I'll make it up to you somehow."

"_I'll be there in thirty minutes."_

There's a click and then the dial tone resounds in Stiles' ear. He pulls the phone away from his ear and stares at it, confused. He hits the end button and takes a slow bite out of his forgotten sandwich. He's chewing slowly on his last bite, still staring at the floor when he realizes he's still nude save for his boxers.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" he flounders as he rushes to pull a fresh change of clothes from his drawers.

Dashing to the bathroom Stiles jerks the handle of his shower on and jumps in despite the icy temperature. He yelps pathetically for the first couple seconds until he adjusts before quickly washing the stench of a hard day's work off of his skin. Spending less than ten minutes in the shower he quickly towels off and pulls on his clothes, swiping deodorant under his arms and brushing his teeth in under five minutes as well. He's out of the bathroom and rushing down the stairs when his doorbell rings. Once he's standing in front of the door he pauses and takes a few calming breaths so he doesn't look too flustered when he finally unlocks and opens the door.

Derek's standing there in a dark green Henley and black jeans, a hand outstretched towards Stiles with his IPod clutched in a tight grip. It takes a moment for Stiles to realize he's being handed anything because he's too busy staring at Derek's scruffy, brooding face. He looks good. Derek shakes his outstretched hand again before Stiles finally looks down at it.

"Oh, right, thanks so much for returning this. I don't know how I could have forgotten that there. I usually keep it in my pocket but it must've fallen out or something."

"It's fine." Derek waves off his thanks and turns back around, moving towards his car is parked beside the curb.

"Uh, wait! That's it? You don't want to come inside for a cup of coffee or tea or something?"

Derek pauses and turns to look at him. "I don't see why I would do that."

Stiles feels his stomach sink. "Oh, I just meant to, I don't know, hang out, chat a bit, but you probably have stuff to do. Sorry 'bout that, uh, thanks for dropping this off. It was nice seeing you, however brief." Stiles waves the IPod around in his hand in an aborted gesture with a small, sad smile.

Derek turns back around to face Stiles again with a frown on his face. Stiles shuffles his feet back a little, not sure if he's supposed to close the door or wait in case Derek says something. He just goes for standing there awkwardly, staring at Derek and having no clue what exactly to do.

"Did you want to hang out?" Derek finally asks after a few awkward seconds of silence and staring.

"Well, yeah. It'd be nice. I haven't really had any down time lately. This is my first evening off since it was really slow at the diner and they let me go early and since you already drove all the way out here I thought that maybe you'd want to stay for a bit. You know, just a thought." Stiles shrugs as if it weren't a big deal even though his heart is going crazy inside his chest.

Derek stares at him for a bit longer, making Stiles break out in a nervous cold sweat but then he finally gives a nod.

"I suppose I can stay for a bit. I'm not currently working on anything so I have a bit of free time."

Stiles lets out a huge sigh of relief, a smile breaking over his face as he steps back to let Derek in. Derek looks hesitant as he steps foot inside as if he's still not sure if he's welcome or not. Stiles waits for him to get a couple feet into the house before he shuts the door so that if Derek wants to bolt he still has that option. Thankfully he keeps going and Stiles shuts and locks the door after them, following Derek down the hall until they're standing in the open area between the kitchen and living room.

"Uh, well, I was thinking about putting on a movie either down here or upstairs in my room, um, if you wanted. You can totally pick the movie, I'm fine with that. We have a bunch over there in the corner," Stiles says, pointing to the far corner of the living room, "so you can just pick whatever. I mean, if you want to. There's other things to do if you wanted too. Just keepin' the options open."

Thankfully Derek nods and Stiles finally stops his awkward rambling.

"A movie is fine."

"Cool. Uhm, the television is down here and has a pretty big screen but I have my computer upstairs which has better graphics…"

"Down here is fine. Just, pick a movie Stiles."

Stiles tries not to think about the little flutter that dances through his stomach at the sound of his name coming from Derek's mouth. To cover up any sign that there _had_ been a flutter he quickly crosses the living room and crouches beside the movie shelves. Quickly he scans through the movie titles before picking up Batman Begins. He holds it up.

"What about this one? That ok?"

"Good. Let's start the movie."

Derek had settled on the couch while Stiles had been choosing the movie and looked only slightly uncomfortable sitting there, watching Stiles with an impatient frown. Stiles jumps up and darts over to the television, not wanting to keep Derek waiting. After minimal fumbling and a few presses of the remote, the opening to Batman Begins blares through the television speakers and Stiles goes to sit on the other end of the couch so he doesn't make Derek even more uncomfortable than he already is.

The movie finally captures Stiles attention about a third of the way in after he spent those first few moments trying to get used to Derek's presence next to him. It'd been a while since there had been anyone else in his house, even Scott hadn't been over in a few weeks, so it took a bit to adjust. Once he finally focused on the movie Stiles relaxed and smiled as Batman bashed in the bad guy's face.

When the end credits finally rolled Stiles was completely relaxed and found himself a cushion over on the couch, right next to Derek. He didn't remember when he'd done that, it must've been when the Scarecrow first appeared and he'd leaned over to say something about it. He was a bit of a movie talker but he thought he'd been pretty good during this one. Maybe. Probably not.

"My favorite is the second one. Joker is definitely my favorite villain. Though I really like Deadpool too but I think he's more of an antihero than a villain. Would that make him sort of a hero too? I don't know. He's pretty cool though. They're kind of alike, the Joker and Deadpool. They've both got tragic backstories that have to do with their scars and they're both a little psychotic." Stiles rambles as he puts the disk back into its case and back onto the shelf.

Derek is just sitting there, hands folded and staring at him like he wants to jump up and run out the front door. Stiles is in the middle of a monologue on what makes Deadpool slightly more crazy than the Joker and immediately shuts up when he sees Derek's expression.

"Ah, sorry about the rambling, it's a really bad habit. I'd offer you some dinner but you really look like you've had enough of me for one day. Or a week." Stiles gives a small laugh that he hopes at least sounds genuine. "I get that a lot. It was really nice having you over though. Thanks. For hanging out. And putting up with me." Stiles lets his mouth pull into a smile even as his stomach twists.

Derek stands up and nods at him before turning and navigating his way back to the door. Stiles follows, dragging his feet only a little. Derek unlocks and opens the door before twisting around and staring intently at Stiles.

"Thanks for having me over. It was…something."

Stiles gives him a small smile, relieved just a little at the words. At least he wasn't telling him it was the worst time he'd ever had and he wished he'd never come over. It'd happened before. It was not pleasant.

"Yeah, something is better than nothing I guess. I'll, uh, see you later, maybe? If you ever need your house cleaned again just call my cell, I won't even charge you."

Derek shakes his head. "I don't plan on letting my house get like that again but if it ever does I'll call you. I'll still pay you though, I'm sure you need the money."

Stiles shrugs, "Doesn't everybody. Seriously though, it was nice having you over. It's nice not having to sit in an empty house until I decide it's time for bed."

Derek nods again and resumes his walk down the driveway to his car parked at the curb.

"Talk to you later then!"

Derek waves once before climbing into his car. The Camaro rumbles to life and idles for a couple of seconds before Derek peels away from the curb and down his street. Stiles watches the car go and continues staring out his door until the chill of the night finally has him shutting the door and locking it tight behind him. He stays there, forehead pressed against the wood of the door for a few more minutes before he finally pushes off and turns out the lights, making his way up the stairs in the dark. He collapses face first into his bed and sighs into the fabric of his pillow.

After replaying the night in his head at least a dozen times Stiles gives up on trying to figure out if he'd done anything wrong and shimmies out of his clothes and snuggles under his blankets for the night. He'll deal with everything else tomorrow. He didn't need to add more stress to his already hectic life.

**A/N: So, I know that putting things like '1234 Random Street' is kind of ridiculous as well as putting generic names and stuff for the 'information' but I found it hilarious and it makes me smile so I'm gonna keep doing that. I **_**could**_** change it to something else but I simply don't want to. Neener neener boo boo. Heck yeah, I'm a grown woman. Deal with it! ~esplozion!~ **

**Also, thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, for the feedback on the last chapter. I kept forgetting to add the author's note 'cause I've been copy pasting the chapters from the original story that's all on one document into smaller increments since I like doing things in chapters instead of all at once….does that make sense? Jeesh.**

**Well, thank you again. I hope to hear more from alls of yalls soon! ~hearts~**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: This chapter went much easier than the last one did. It's so hard to connect plot points sometimes. Such a pain! I hope yalls enjoy this one as well.**

**Also, some of yalls want me to change Stiles' age to college freshman but I made him a minor for a reason. I really like him as a sixteen year old and sure some of the details (like how he was hired by the housekeeping agency at 16) are fuzzy but they'll be explained later. Please bear with me! Thanks!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Wolf**

**ENJOY!**

Derek drove home in a kind of daze that night. How had he forgotten about Stiles' energy in only a few short days? The speed in which Stiles spoke was faster than Derek's mind could comprehend and that took some skill. The whole drive home was filled with thoughts of Stiles and what on earth he'd just been forced to watch for two hours. Sure, Batman was fine, but the way Stiles watched movies was something else entirely. There was no way that kid could sit still in a movie theater if that was the way he watched a movie in his own home. Give that kid a big screen with better surround sound and sugar and it was a mess waiting to happen.

Heaving a sigh Derek put Stiles out of his mind for the time being. He wouldn't be seeing the kid any time soon anyways. The car was silent. So incredibly silent after being filled with chatter and laughter over the past week that Derek felt like the silence had its own grating noise. Irritation filled him at his calm being so easily broken and hit the button for his radio and noise quickly filled his car and silenced his mind. The remaining time driving home was spent drowning out all thoughts of Stiles and on wondering about how his editor was doing on his book.

By the time he'd reached his house he'd almost completely forgotten about Stiles and was eager to put his fingers to the keyboard of his computer and start typing up his ideas for the sequel. However, when he opened the door of his room the scent of Stiles hit him hard and he was quickly ripped from his thoughts of anything but Stiles and the horrid silence and emptiness of his house.

"Damn it." He spit into the silence and quickly booted up his computer.

Once the computer was on he opened up a tab to YouTube and clicked on his favorite playlist of music that inspired him while he worked. Turning the volume up a few notches more than usual he opened up a blank Word document and began typing out his ideas from the car ride home.

Things are slow, like, really slow. Derek had hardly left his house since he'd gotten back from Stiles' house. The only things he did were go out to grab some food or whatever else ran out in the house. By the time that Derek finally got his edited work back and publisher's note to say his book was ready for printing a week had gone by and Derek's head was still stuck in the clouds that hadn't seemed to dissipate since Stiles had been there.

A knock on his front door had him scrambling over empty food cartons and clothes to get out of his room. Right before he yanked open the door he stopped and checked through the peephole and slumped into himself with an anguished groan.

"I heard that! Open up the door Der-bear!"

"Go away Laura! No one wants to see you!" he yelled back through the door.

"Aw! Don't be like that! I just came to see how you were doing! How's your book coming along? When can I read it? Has it already gone through the editor?"

Derek calmly drew in a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose to calm himself. Slowly he pulled the door open to reveal his well-dressed, whirlwind of a sister who stepped over his threshold like she owned the damn place.

"Oh Hell no! Derek! What the hell have you been doing?! It's been two weeks since you cleaned the place and it's already like this?! What. The. Hell?!"

Derek glares at her, frowning deeply but shuffles his feet when he looks around to see that he indeed had made a mess in only two weeks' time. Trash had been shoved against the walls, the room outlined in trash and debris of all sorts. Discarded papers and take-out containers made up most of the mess but there were other things in there too.

Laura was staring at it all in horror and anger before she whirled back to face him.

"You said you'd never let it get this bad again." She hissed.

"Why the hell do you care? I said I wouldn't let it get _that_ bad again. This is nothing. Just a bit of clean up. If you'd have given me _warning_ of your arrival then I'd have cleaned up."

"No, Derek, this is bad. I care because you're going to descend into disgust and filth and when something important really does happen your filth will completely ruin everything! If the media wants to interview you or the paparazzi comes knocking on your door everything you've worked for will be completely overshadowed by this!" she says, sweeping her arm out over the filthy living room.

"Why would anyone besides you ever come here? There's no use worrying about something that will never happen."

Derek stomps past his sister to his room, shutting the door so she doesn't see the even worse conditions he sleeps in as of late. Laura is glaring at him, tapping her foot with her arms crossed over her chest when he turns back around.

"You know, you're problem is exactly that. You _don't_ have anyone to invite over, no one to talk with or be a _normal_ person with and that turns you into a disgusting slob. You were actually pretty happy when I came over last time, right after having that person over. What happened to them? Scared them off with your pig sty?"

Derek could almost laugh at the irony. Stiles had actually been the one to _clean_ his pig sty, not get scared off by it, and that had been some scary shit!

"They were nobody. It's none of your business anyways what I do with my life. I'm not going to let it get bad again. I'll clean at least once a week if you so badly need _my_ house clean."

"_I_ don't need it. _You_ do. Someone who lives like an animal will eventually become one themselves. That especially applies to us. Now either you shape the fuck up or I will bring mom into this."

Laura turned towards the kitchen but seeing it scattered with trash as well shook her head and started back towards the door. Before she reached it she paused and turned on her heel to face Derek. Derek barely managed to keep his groan of annoyance from escaping when Laura opened her mouth. What came next was something he absolutely did _not_ expect.

"I actually came over for a reason other than harassing you about the state of you living space." She dug around in her purse for a second before whipping out a crisp, off-white envelope. "I'm getting married. Emmet and I made it official about a week ago. I only had twenty invitations made for the occasion and I wanted to make sure yours didn't get lost in your disgusting habit."

Derek, stunned into silence, reached out to take the envelope from her grasp. The paper was heavy and expensive, professionally inscribed in simple detail the names of the bride and grooms to be, as well as the time and place where the joyous occasion would be held. Derek quickly looked up to see his sister staring at him, her face steady but her eyes uncertain.

"Laura, this is amazing. Why didn't you call me?"

Laura shifted a bit on her feet, nervous. "I wanted to tell you in person, make sure you were ok with this, my choice."

Derek took the two steps forward it took to wrap his big sister in a warm hug. He could feel the tension drain out of her, the gust of breath against his shoulder that she'd been holding.

"I take it you approve?" she gave a small chuckle, wrapping her arms around his torso.

"Of course I do. I trust your judgment and if you say he's the one for you then I support you all the way." He pauses for a second before adding, "I'll still rip his lungs out if he ever makes you cry though."

Laura gives a loud bark of laughter. "I'm sure he'll be just thrilled to meet you."

"I should've met him before." Derek grumbled, finally stepping back from his sister.

Laura just rolls her eyes. "As if you'd have come if I invited you. At least this way you'll actually attend with no excuse of losing the envelope."

"I still have a phone and an email which I check often."

"As if." Laura chuckles and finally turns back to the open door and stands just outside the house. "I'll see you there then, yeah?" she asks, pointing at the envelope.

Derek nods. "Yeah. Bye Laura."

Laura smiles widely and Derek can't help but feel happy that he made his big sister smiles like that. "See ya later Der-bear."

Derek rolls his eyes and shuts his door after he sees her car disappear through the trees. He makes his way back to his room and has just sat down in his chair when his phone rings.

"_By the way, I'll be checking in with you every weekend to make sure you keep your place clean. Love you!"_

Derek sits there and stares at his phone with one part fondness and one part horror.

"Dammit."

Sighing, Derek puts his phone down on the desk and looks at the mess of his room, at all the trash everywhere, his untidy blankets and clothes. He really had a problem.

A problem that could be fixed.

Grabbing his phone he quickly pulled up the email he'd gotten from the housekeeping agency and dialed in their number. It rang twice before the line was picked up.

"_Thank you for calling __**Picker-Upper's In-house Housekeeping**__, how may I help you?"_

"Hi, I'd like to request Stiles Stilinski for housekeeping."

"_Alright, I'll need name, number, email address…"_

"My name's Derek Hale, I should already be in your system. I received assistance two weeks ago. I'd like the same picker-upper please."

"_I'll see what I can do. Please hold."_

This phone operator was obviously not as enthused by the job as the last assistant he'd gotten. Derek ended up being on hold for ten minutes before the same dull, bored tone clicked back on the line.

"_Alright, I have confirmation of one Stiles Stilinski to work for a Derek Hale, arrival time: Thursday afternoon. Is this alright with you?"_

"That's fine. Thank you."

"_I'm going to send you a confirmation email. If I do not receive a reply within 24 hours the contract will be terminated."_

"That's fine. Thank you."

There was no answer, simply the click of the phone as it was hung up before it rang dead in his ear.

Derek only had to wait twenty minutes for the email to pop up and two minutes to send it back with the information needed. As soon as he hit send his phone rang by his side, startling him. This time he checked his caller ID to make sure it wasn't his sister calling again to harass him but it was actually Stiles' name flashing on the screen.

"Hello?"

"_Dude! You actually requested me again! I thought for sure that I'd freaked you out and driven you off with my incessant rambling and no brain to mouth filter. You have no idea how glad I was when I got a call to clean you house. Hey, how bad is it this time? There's no way you could've filled your house up that quickly. That'd be like some really inconvenient super power. I'd want the power of clairvoyance or telekinesis or something cool like that… You really should stop me you know. I could just talk and talk for hours if not stopped. Trust me, you do _not_ want that."_

"I got it Stiles. Do you need me to come pick you up so you can save on gas?" Derek finally intervened before Stiles took off on another tangent.

"_Uh, nah, I got it man. I'm already going to be taking up space in your house. I shouldn't have to take up space in your car as well. I have a half tank of gas left anyways. I'll be fine. Is there anything specific I should bring with me this time? Any particular task you need done?"_

Derek was silent for a few seconds just thinking over those words and its implications before shaking his head clear.

"Uh, no. Well, maybe you could make the backyard look decent? It's kind of…overgrown."

Stiles laughed on the other end of the line and Derek couldn't help but feel soothed by the sound, as if that alone was all it took to make the wolf inside of him calm. It freaked him out.

"_No problem-o big guy. I have this jug of weed killer that the company had given me when I was hired and I haven't had a chance to try it out. I'll have to see the damage first to see if I actually need it instead of a simple lawn mower. Do you have a lawn mower or will I need to bring one?"_

"Ah, I don't actually know. I haven't been in my garage in a while. That's probably in need of a cleaning as well."

"_Well, I can put that on my to-do list as well! I'll see you in two days!"_

"Alright. Talk to you later."

"_Bye!"_

Derek hit the end button and stared at his phone, shell-shocked like always whenever he spoke with Stiles. It was like trying to calm a wind-up toy. It wouldn't work until the wind had unwound, leaving him winded. Wow.

Suddenly Derek felt as if a weight had been lifted from his chest, allowing him to breathe right again and he immediately used the feeling to his advantage, opening up his document for his sequel story and began writing.

By the time that Thursday rolled around Derek was practically buzzing with anticipation. This reaction startled him every time he thought about it. Every time he caught himself watching the clock he'd berate himself and try to shake himself free of the sensation but it just would _not_ leave him!

He was practically pacing the floor by the time three o'clock hit and there was a knock at his door. He'd been so preoccupied in berating himself for the stupidity of feeling anticipation that he'd missed the sound of a vehicle rolling down his drive. His heart skipped a beat but he forced his body to settle and face to smooth out before he opened the door to reveal Stiles standing there in similar clothes as last time and the same bag and bucket of supplies.

"Hey! Nice to see you man!" Stiles said, grinning wide before stepping past Derek into the living room. "Wow dude, I think you might have a bit of a trash problem."

"I know." Derek grumbled, feeling irritated at the feeling of peace the boy brought him.

Stiles set his things down before holding up his hands in surrender. "I'm not judging man, I'm just stating the obvious."

"If it's obvious don't state it. I need you to have this place cleaned by Saturday. Can you do that?"

Stiles shrugged, looking around at the mess. "I don't know, depends on what I have to work with. I can get the living room done in no time flat but I don't know how bad the rest of the place is. I'll let you know in a couple hours, how 'bout that? It'll give me time to come up with a decent time frame."

Derek just waved him on. "Well, I'm not stopping you."

"So sassy." Stiles quipped jokingly before gathering his things back into his hands. "Do you want me to put my things in a different room now that they're clear or should I take my spot in your room again?"

The wolf in Derek practically purred with the thought of Stiles having a spot of his own in his room but that just made up his mind for him.

"You can take one of the other rooms. My room is kind of a mess. I sort of let it go these past weeks."

"Huh, I thought that was the only place you kept decently clean."

Derek stomped across the living room to his door. "It was." He grumbled.

"I could clean in there first if that's what you want." Stiles offered but Derek just shook his head.

"I've got to do _something_. I can handle my room. You get the rest."

"Will do boss man! I'll take the first room down the hall then."

"Sure."

That was it for conversation that day until late evening when Stiles had finally gotten the living room and kitchen squeaky clean once more. Derek had been able to tune him out relatively successfully after the first hour and a half, only paying attention when he made an especially weird noise. A knock on his door alerted him to Stiles' presence once more.

"Come in."

His door creaked open and Stiles' head peaked through looking tired.

"I think I'm going to call it a night. I had the early shift at the diner this morning to make up for the days I'm going to miss while I'm here which is why I couldn't make it here earlier. Is there anything you need done before I head to bed?"

Derek shook his head, ignoring the wolf in his head that begged him to let Stiles sleep in his room. "That's fine for today. How much is there left to do?"

"I may be able to get the garage done by Saturday but not the backyard. I'd have to come back at a later time."

Derek was already nodding before he'd finished. "That's fine. Thank you."

Stiles nodded and closed the door at the obvious dismissal and made his way to his room across the living room and into the first door on the left. There was a small twin there that he'd uncovered the weeks before. It was clean with a blanket folded on top of it just like he'd left it.

Sluggishly he pulled his clothes bag up from the floor and tossed it to the head of the bed, peeling off his clothes before unfolding the blanket and climbing onto the mattress, using the bag as a pillow. He was out before he'd let out ten breaths.

Derek listened as Stiles' heartbeat slowed into sleep, subconsciously matching his breathing with the boy's. A yawn split Derek's face wide open as he realized he was tired as well. He'd have a busy day tomorrow getting his room in order. Laura had promised a visit on Sunday and this time he had to make sure no scent of Stiles lingered no matter how much he wished for it to.

**A/N: I liked writing this chapter. I wrote it at one in the morning so if there are any mistakes…oops. They happen. The feedback from alls of yalls is really the only thing that keeps me going sometimes. Knowing that yalls enjoy what I write is seriously so satisfying for me as a writing… does that sound corny? It totally was. Awesome.**

**Thanks for reading so far! I hope yalls will stick with me through the rest of this. I have another couple fics lined up after this one so maybe I'll see some of yalls later too! Thank you, thank you, thank you so much! ~hearts~**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Oh gosh I just wrote a bajillion pages in one night! What the Hell?! So, it was fun writing these next couple of chapters. I am so in love with Laura! She seems like the cool, in your face older sister that I never got to have. I am sadly the only female out of four children. So sad.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Wolf**

**ENJOY!**

Stiles was up before Derek the next morning so he started with the quiet cleaning first. The day before he'd cleared out all the trash from the living room and kitchen since the hall had been untouched since the last time he'd been there. He'd made a schedule the night before and decided it would take at least a day to clean and scrub the living room, kitchen, and bathrooms. Derek had said he'd take care of his room on his own and while he doubted Derek's ability to clean he'd respect his decision. He'd just take a quick look the day he was supposed to leave.

Derek got up around eleven that morning, coming out of his room bright eyed and fully dressed as if he hadn't just woken up from almost twelve full hours of sleep. Stiles was kind of jealous of…well…all of him. Dude looked like a god or something. Rude.

"Are you hungry?" Derek asked, walking into the almost clean kitchen.

Stiles scoffed. "Dude, do you not know me? Of course I am."

Stiles stood from where he'd been crouching next to the wall, removing scuff marks from the wall. Derek downed a quick glass of water and fished his keys from his back pocket.

"What do you want?"

Stiles shrugged. "I don't really care. I'll eat pretty much everything. Except lima beans. Or Brussel sprouts. Or liver. I don't really like…"

"I get it Stiles, you can shut up now."

Stiles flushed a bright pink across his cheeks and neck and quickly turned back to the wall to hide his unattractive blushing.

"Oh, uh, right. Well, I'll just eat whatever you give me so, uh, yeah, go crazy. I'll be cleaning and stuffs. No need to hurry back."

Stiles quietly curses under his breath as he scrubs at a spot on the wall like it had personally offended him. Behind him the front door opened and closed and Stiles let out a long sigh, thumping his head against the wall.

"Nice Stiles, annoy the one hot person you know. That'll _really_ draw them in. A running motor mouth and stupid red face saying stupid things with a stupid look…stupid, all stupid, all of it. Just…stupid."

Stiles mutters under his breath for a solid ten minutes, berating himself as he scrubs punishingly at the wall until it's completely clean and his hands are throbbing from being rubbed raw by the rough rag. He doesn't mind his hands though and instead heads over to the counters and starts scrubbing those as well.

When the door opens and closes again twenty minutes later he doesn't hear it over the sound of his mild cursing and the wheels in his head turning in a jumbled mess of self-loathing and embarrassment. So when Derek grabs his hands to stop the scrubbing he yelps and jumps a foot off the ground.

"Holy Hell Derek! What the fuck?! You trying to kill me? I swear this is not the first time this has happened before!"

Derek quickly lets go and backs up a couple steps, a deep frown marring his brow.

"Your hands are bleeding. You were so busy muttering to yourself that you didn't hear me come in."

Stiles looks down at the rag clenched in his red hands and sees splashes of red here and there on the material.

"Oh. Oops. I thought I was just wiping up something red off the counter. Like jelly or hot sauce."

Derek gently moves the white bag of food away from the edge of the counter where he'd half-hazardly placed it in his haste to grab Stiles' hands.

"Didn't you feel the pain? That usually means it's time to stop doing what you're doing." Derek rebuked harshly making Stiles flinch.

"I didn't mean to. I just got…distracted."

Derek lifted one angry eyebrow at him, making him shrink in on himself.

"Right, sorry. Stupid of me. Really, really stupid. I wasn't paying attention and I should have been but I wasn't 'cause I was embarrassed about my motor mouth and I wasn't sure if I'd offended you and I just kinda blocked out the pain. It's a bad habit of mine. I've done it since I was little. I totally made a mess out of your kitchen. There's probably blood on the counter and I'll have to re-clean the entire surface. I'm so sorry, it's such a waste of your time. You don't have to pay me for that. I'll just dock off these hours from the total so you won't have to pay."

Derek watched as the boy shrunk in on himself, the scent of sadness and humiliation souring the air, making him wrinkle his nose in discomfort. Before he thought it through he reached out and put a gentle hand on Stiles' shoulder.

"I didn't mean it that way. I don't care about the counter. You're hands are bleeding."

Stiles continued staring at the floor, trying to pull himself together. It was only a minor error, nothing big. Derek had just said that he wasn't mad. Right? That's what he meant, right? Stiles took deep breaths to keep him from falling into a panic attack in the middle of Derek's kitchen.

Every time he makes a mistake a feeling of panic and terror hits him hard. It's happened for the last couple of months and even though he can usually control it sometimes he'll have a full blown panic attack. It's already gotten him fired from two jobs and he just _can't_ lose this job too. He _needs_ the money. He's also in front of Derek, who he doesn't know too well and will most likely report him to the agency. So, not only would he be getting fired he'd also be making a complete and utter fool of himself in front of the single most good-looking person he's ever seen. Wow Stiles, nice one. Like usual.

"Stiles, are you going to be ok? I'm not angry with you." Derek said, trying to soothe the panic he could scent welling up in the boy.

Stiles clenched his fists and looked up at Derek, mustering up a small smile.

"Yeah, no, I'm totally fine. Just…uh…got lost in my head. I do that a lot. Can you not tell the company about this? If they know I messed up in front of a customer and inconvenienced them I'll get fired and I _really_ need this job."

Derek put up his hand to stop the flow of words before Stiles could really get going. He immediately snapped his mouth shut and once Derek was sure Stiles wasn't going to start talking again he held out a wet napkin. Stiles took it and opened his hands from where they were clenched. The rag was sitting on the counter and he couldn't remember having let it go.

His hands were raw at the webbing between his thumb and index finger, bleeding on the right one and bleeding at his fingertips on his left hand. It wasn't really too bad, just stung a bit now that it had been brought to his attention.

"You ok now?" Derek asked after a few moments of silence. When Stiles nodded his head he continued. "I'm not going to report you for something so minor. If you'd have stolen something from me I'd kick your ass myself."

Stiles gave him a meek smile and nodded, dabbing the napkin at his split skin. "I, uh, might have over-reacted a bit. It happens sometimes, especially with people I don't know very well."

Derek simply nods and reaches into the food bag and pulls out food wrapped in paper. He hands one oblong package to Stiles and pulls out a more rounded one for himself. Stiles wraps the wet napkin around his right hand which was still slightly bleeding and began unwrapping the paper from his food.

A steaming breakfast burrito filled with eggs, sausage, bacon, and cheese had his mouth watering as he held it up to his nose.

"Mmmmm, oh yeah. That's amazing." Stiles drawled before shoving an obscene amount into his mouth at once, moaning around the huge bite.

Derek had unwrapped his burger and was about to take a bite when he caught sight of Stiles' mouth engulfing the entire top of his burrito. It was positively obscene watching the boy's mouth stretch wide over the immense burrito and devour an impossible amount at once. The moan he let out was practically pornographic and Derek wasn't sure if he should be grossed out or turned on. He was probably a little too much of the latter. He quickly turned his attention back to the burger in his hand and tried to focus on that instead of Stiles' eating habits.

Things went pretty smoothly after that. Stiles assured Derek that his hands were fine and that if he didn't work he'd never get paid and scoffed when Derek offered to pay him even if he stopped right then. Stiles vehemently declined and went on cleaning. Derek managed to get half of his room cleaned by the time the sun set and Stiles had completely scrubbed the kitchen and vacuumed the living room even after taking two hours in the middle to eat lunch and dinner.

When it was time for bed Stiles knocked on Derek's door to alert him of his presence.

"Derek, I'm going to bed now. In the morning I'll clean the bathroom and be on my way. I didn't get to clean the garage or backyard but I'll get those next time if you want to hire me again."

Derek jerked his door open looking a little frenzied.

"I didn't realize it was that time. I don't think I'll be able to get my room done in time for tomorrow."

Stiles' eyebrows rose in surprise at the almost panic in Derek's voice.

"Whoa there, that's fine. I can do that too if you so desperately need it done tomorrow. What's the occasion?"

Derek stared at him for a while as if debating really hard in his head before answering. "My sister is coming over on Sunday and I have to have this place completely clean and aired out when she gets here."

"So why can't I just stay a little longer on Saturday? I'm sure you'll have enough time after noon."

Derek just shook his head and turned back into his room, grabbing things and running around the room with them until he found a spot for them.

"No, that wouldn't work. She'd be able to tell you were here, I'm sure of it. I need longer to air out the house. I'm not even sure a full day will be enough. Last time she knew you were in my room and would _not_ stop bugging me about it."

Derek spoke distractedly while Stiles watched him dart around his room.

"I'll help you finish this tonight then. It shouldn't take too long with the both of us, right?"

Derek froze in the middle of his room, looking at him.

"You don't know where anything goes."

"Uh, yeah I do. I stayed here for a while before. I'm pretty sure I memorized everything you have in your house."

"No, it'll smell like…" Derek clamped his mouth shut and jerked his head to the side. "Uh…it just isn't a good idea. I like my stuff exactly where I put it. I'll just finish this tonight. You go to sleep."

Stiles frowned slightly, confused at the odd phrasing. "Uh, ok. Whatever you say boss man. I'll see you in the morning then. G'night."

"Night." Derek muttered.

Stiles pulled Derek's door shut and went back to his room replaying what just happened in his head. Sighing he just shook his head and crawled out of his clothes and onto the blankets, wrapping himself in them and falling promptly to sleep.

The next morning was hectic, Derek waking him up by banging on his door before disappearing into his room and slamming it in his haste. Stiles worked for the next two hours scrubbing both bathrooms downstairs and making final adjustments to the house around him before he declared it done. He was out the door by eight-thirty.

"I'll, uh, talk to you later then. If you need anything, anything at all, just call or text me."

Derek nodded, a quick, sharp jerk of his head. "I'll call for you again. Bye."

"Uh, bye."

The door slammed shut before the word was even finished and Stiles tried not to take it personally. Derek hadn't slept that night in favor of cleaning his room and airing out the house as much as he could during the dark hours. Stiles wouldn't be surprised if he stayed up until his sister got there the next day.

Derek had to physically calm himself down. His wolf was antsy at the thought of Stiles leaving so soon after he'd come back which in turn made Derek himself antsy. The scent of Stiles was being washed away by the breeze and left his chest feeling tight. He'd found Stiles' blanket folded neatly on the guest mattress shortly after he'd left and found himself pressing his face into the fabric and inhaling deeply. When he realized what he was doing he was so deeply disturbed he'd almost thrown the blanket away from him but he couldn't let go of it.

He should have thrown the blanket straight into the wash. He _should_ have. That doesn't mean he did. Instead he took the blanket and tucked it underneath his pillow where his scent was the strongest and the most likely to keep Laura from discovering it.

When Laura arrived on Sunday morning the house was thoroughly aired out so hardly a trace of Stiles was left.

"Wow baby brother. You know, if you didn't make such a mess all the time you wouldn't have to clean it up either."

Derek waited anxiously in the middle of his empty living room for Laura to finish her sweep of the house, making sure he hadn't just stuffed all the trash and filth somewhere else. When she went into his room he couldn't help but tense up, his heat rate increasing just a little bit but enough for a werewolf to know. Yet when she came out of the room she didn't look any the wiser.

"Well, this place is looking great except for your garage. That'll be your next project. Clean up the garage and you'll be golden! See what a loving sister I am? Looking out for your health and well-being and everything. You should really thank me instead of scowling at me Mr. Grumpy Gills."

"Laura." Derek said in what was meant to be a threatening tone but instead came out as endearing and a little exasperated.

Laura just laughed. "You know, you should really hang out with us more. We're family after all. Mom misses you and I'm sure dad does too. I'd love to hang out with you sometime since the only times I ever get to see you is when I threaten you with parental punishment for having a filthy house."

Derek feels a jolt of guilt when he scents the slight hint of sadness and longing coming from Laura.

"Sorry. You're right, I should. I've just been…busy. I don't like people meddling with my life. You should know better than anyone."

Laura nodded. "You're right, I do. Which is why I want to make sure you're not completely alone all the time. It's not good for our wolves. We're pack creatures for a reason, it keeps us strong and safe." Laura wraps her brother up in her arms. "I love you and mom loves you and dad loves you and your sister loves you and your brother loves you, we all love you. And whoever that blanket belongs to in your room probably loves you." Laura chuckles.

Derek lets out a long suffering groan but laughs and wraps his arms around his sister, hugging her tight.

"I knew you'd find that. It's just a…scent thing. I like the way he smells."

"_He_ huh? Well, isn't this a development."

Derek just groans again and rubs his face against his sister's, scent marking her.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever buddy. We'll definitely talk about this later but I'm going to be late for lunch with Emmet if I don't get going now. I love you baby brother. Take care of yourself." She says as she lets go and walks back out the front door. "Also, call up that man of yours. If you don't make it known that you're interested he'll never know. If anything he'll probably be terrified of that intense scowly thing you have going on."

"Good_bye_ Laura." Derek says with finality and Laura laughs.

"See you later Der-bear."

Derek waits until her car has disappeared, standing in the doorway with a fond grin before closing the door once more and locking it behind him.

**A/N: So in these next few chapters things are going to start becoming clearer as things are explained with Stiles and everything. I hope I don't disappoint since a lot of you do have really good ideas but I am absolutely set on mine. **

**Also, thank you SO MUCH! Holy Hell alls of yalls are so awesome! The reviews have me giggling like a frickin' idiot in public. Thanks a lot guys! Geeeez. Haha, seriously though, the reviews have been so very amazing and I read each one and squeal like an idiot because that's just who I am. ~hearts~**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: It was really difficult figuring out where to split up the chapters since I wrote them all together so they flow sort of nicely. I've been making the chapters longer so that there's more content for all of you. This fic was actually meant to be one huge monster but then I was like…I don't want to write cuz I dun even know if anyone will like it and I got disheartened and decided to post chapters instead. This thing is already past 75 pages so I'm glad I did chapters instead. It'd take me for-freaking-ever otherwise.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Wolf**

**ENJOY!**

Derek goes for two more days before he calls Stiles. The first time he calls he gets Stiles' voicemail so he waits for a good two hours before calling again. Voicemail again. He waits for another hour before sending a quick text, feeling dread and embarrassment that Stiles might be ignoring him. Maybe he'd already scared Stiles off like Laura had said. The blanket had already lost most of Stiles' scent from him rubbing his face in it so many times. It mostly just smelled like him now.

He tried to keep the text short and simple but it ended up being: _Stiles, it's Derek. I called a couple of times but didn't leave a message since it seemed pointless. I was wondering if you'd like to come over and help me clean the garage tomorrow. I could call up the agency if you wanted to keep things that way but I just thought I'd ask._

He stared at the text for three solid minutes, debating on whether or not to send the lengthy message but eventually he forced himself to hit the send button and the message was on its way. The second it was sent he was hit with the feeling of stupidity, as if he'd just made a huge blunder but he couldn't really figure out why. There was nothing wrong with his text or his request. It just felt…overtly familiar? Maybe? He couldn't put his finger on it.

Derek's phone was silent for the rest of the day, no new messages or calls popped up whenever he'd check his phone every ten minutes or so. His heart felt just the slightest bit heavy at the thought of Stiles ignoring him. Just slightly. Eventually he had to force himself to put his phone away and concentrate on the document in front him that held his outline for another book he'd wanted to write for a while. He wasn't in the mood for the sequel to his last novel.

His phone was silent until about three that morning. The buzz of it in his pocket startled him out of his daydream where he'd been staring at the blank screen of his computer for the past half hour or so. He fumbled for his pocket and yanked his phone out, expanding the message Stiles had sent him.

_Hey! Sorry about not getting back to you earlier. I just got off work and I'm not supposed to have my phone at work so I didn't get your message until just now. I'd be happy to come over tomorrow if you still want me to. You don't have to go through the agency if you don't want to, I'd totally understand. Thanks for requesting me though! It's awesome working at your place. So, uhm, if you still want me to come over tomorrow I'll let my bosses know and take a couple days off. They're really understanding. _

The message ended there and Derek couldn't help but shake his head with a small smirk on his lips at the oddity of that message. It was just like Stiles to give a long-winded reply. Quickly he hit the reply button and composed his message.

_You can come over whenever you want tomorrow. _

The reply was almost instant.

_Sweet! I'll probably be there around one in the afternoon if all goes well. I wasn't expecting you to be up still and would have called you instead of texting since there's never enough space for typing everything I want to say in these tiny little bubbles. Why is the limit only 160?! All my messages end up being like a bajillion little balloons!_

Derek chuckled. It was so off topic.

_Even if I were asleep I always answer when my phone rings unless it's my sister. I find the limit to be just fine._

_That's because you hardly say anything. People like me who have a lot to say have to suffer through the multiple message bloops that get messed up sometimes and end up looking like a jumble of half-finished thoughts. Usually I just shorten my words so that there's not as many characters and I can text faster but I don't want to seem incompetent so I've been spelling everything out. And double checking since I make horrid mistakes. Yeah, this one is long too._

Derek rolls his eyes at the absurdity.

_It's fine Stiles. Text however you're comfortable with._

_Sweet. I wsnt sure if u wer ok with that. Now the wrds look stpd. Ha! Well im gnna get sme shut i. txt u tomoro._

_I'll talk to you tomorrow Stiles. Good night._

_Gnite :)_

Derek stared at his phone for a good ten minute reading and rereading their texts and laughed at the horrendous grammar in the last few texts. As a novelist reading shortened texts like that should have bugged him but knowing it was Stiles just made him smile. It was disconcerting. It seemed as though everything Stiles did just made Derek more and more fond of him. Damn, it was going to suck when his house was completely cleaned.

The thought brought unease to Derek's mind so he quickly shooed it away and kept rereading the texts until he fell asleep.

The next day Derek was woken by the sound of a vehicle on his road and darted out of bed, pulling on appropriate clothes and brushing his teeth and hair which was sticking up in _every_ direction! Why this morning of all mornings to have bedhead?!

He quickly combed gel through his hair and washed up in time to hear a knock on his door. Derek ran to the door and jerked it open, smoothing his face out before the door fully revealed him. Stiles stood there with his usual bucket and bag with a huge smile on his face.

"Hey! Nice to see you again! I mean, it's only been like four days but it feels like longer to me. Is that weird? That's probably totally weird but whatever, it's nice to see you." Stiles ranted on in his usual manner.

"It's nice to see you too Stiles." Derek said with a small, fond smile. He'd actually really missed the kid.

Stiles' smile got impossibly wider and Derek rolled his eyes before stepping back to let the kid through the door.

"There are donuts in the fridge. I got them the night before so I hope they aren't too soggy."

Stiles groaned and set his stuff down on the floor next to the front door before rushing to the fridge with a triumphant hiss of 'Yes!' and a fist pump into the air.

The donuts were still good and all twelve of them were devoured by the both of them in the next half an hour. By the time they were finished crumbs were littered across the counter. Stiles laughed when he saw the mess.

"I should be cleaning this place, not making more of a mess." He chuckled, wiping up the mess with a dampened paper towel.

Derek just shrugged. "It happens."

"You'd know _all_ about messes, wouldn't you? You just so happen to be the king of messes which is really something since I previously held that title for at least three years before I saw your house. Now _that_ is impressive."

They get to work after cleaning up everything from breakfast/lunch but neither are in a hurry this time. The garage is in absolute disarray and will undoubtedly take a couple days to finish so they just bide their time, sorting through the mess piece by piece. Most of it is just stuff that Derek had taken off the shelves and racks and had never put back. Other stuff belongs in the rooms inside such as mattresses that never made it up the stairs when he moved in so long ago that were still covered in plastic. Tubs full of decorations his mother had given him, pictures of his family and of landscapes. Paintings that were probably incredibly valuable that never got hung up. Just…stuff.

By the end of the first day they were both filthy, covered in dirt and cobwebs from rooting around in things that hadn't been touched in years. Stiles had spent the majority of the time oo-ing and ah-ing at all the cool stuff as they sorted it into different piles. They'd managed to get a quarter of the garage sifted through in the hours they'd been there.

"You have a freakishly big house with a freakish amount of stuff but it's _all_ in your garage! Why didn't you just bring it in? Your garage wouldn't be this cluttered if you'd just put the stuff away when you'd moved in."

"I didn't feel like it. I don't really care how my house looks since I'm the only one who's ever in here. There's no one I need to impress."

"Right. No girlfriend. I forgot. It's hard to believe a guy like you wouldn't have someone. It's practically a crime keeping all of you to yourself."

Derek just shook his head. "I'm doing the world a favor, trust me." He grumbled.

Stiles rolled his eyes and gave Derek a nudge with his shoulder as they went back inside so they could clean up.

"You're kind of ridiculous but that's ok. You haven't kicked me out yet so I'm not complaining. Most people would gladly let me hole myself up." Stiles chuckled and started towards his bag he'd left next to the door.

"You're not _that_ bad." Derek reasoned gruffly.

Stiles gave him an incredulous look. "Riiiiight. I know you're not deaf nor are you blind so I'm just going to have to question your sanity on this one."

"No, really. You're not that bad. If you were I'd have tossed you a long time ago." Derek continued even though he had no idea why his mouth was still running.

"Aw! You liiiike me! That's so sweet!" Stiles said jokingly, clasping his hands together and fluttering his eyelashes.

He could only hold it for a couple seconds before doubling over in laughter. Derek stood there a few feet from him, a curious frown marring his brow. _Like_ him? Did Derek _like_ him? The thought was like a bucket of cold water that shook him to the bone. Without another word he turned around and stalked to his room, shutting the door behind him. He could still hear Stiles laughing quietly as he went to take a shower in the other bathroom next to the guest bedroom.

Leaning against the door he tried to gather his thoughts. Ok, he did _not_ like Stiles. It was a platonic toleration. The kid cleaned for him and he paid him. He was just a _kid_ for goodness sake! There was no way he'd like him! It was just because he hasn't been around other people for so long that this little bit of company has him forming a sort of friendship with him. Just friendship, that was it.

He spend his time in the shower reassuring himself that he didn't _like_ Stiles, just liked him as a friend. There was absolutely no way since it just didn't happen, he wouldn't ever come to like him.

When he got out he was calm again, knowing there was nothing that could possibly happen. Oh he was so wrong. So very wrong.

When he stepped out of his room clothed in fresh pajamas Stiles went darting from the guest bathroom into the guest room with only his dirty clothes covering his junk. Derek got an eyeful of a wet, pale, white ass dotted with moles before he disappeared into the room.

Derek froze there while he listened to Stiles cursing under his breath and the rustle of clothes as Stiles pulled on his pajamas. When Stiles came out of the room he hadn't moved an inch and Stiles froze too, staring at him with horror.

"Oh fuck. Did you see that?"

"Uh…" Derek couldn't really answer, his mind still playing and replaying the image of Stiles' pale, naked body running through his hallway.

"Shit. I'm so sorry. I forgot my clothes when I went into the bathroom since I was too busy laughing and I didn't want to put my clothes back on since they were filthy and I just showered and there was no towel. I had checked and double checked to make sure that you weren't there but I…uh…you must've come out at the same time as me and I didn't see you. Man, you are going to be scarred for life with the image of my ugly, naked ass seared into your brain for the rest of your life." Stiles laughed even through the undercurrent of embarrassment still wafted off of him. "Sorry about that. I seem to be making a lot of dumbass mistakes lately. It's just a me thing I guess."

"It's fine. I…uh…didn't really see you. I wasn't paying attention. Do you want anything to eat? We forgot about dinner since we had lunch late." Derek said hastily as he wrenched his eyes from Stiles. He was so fucked.

"You going to go get food in your pajamas?"

Derek shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time. You can come too if you wanted. I'm just going to grab something from the diner since they're open until ten."

"Sure. Let me grab my shoes."

Derek quickly retreated into his room and sat on his bed, totally in shock. This was so not how he expected things to be. That single look at that lithe body had him aching for Stiles. When the Hell had this attraction manifested and how in the world was it already this strong? He had to calm the fuck down before he screwed everything up like last time. There will _never_ be a next time. He'd sworn to himself. Never. Again.

With that in mind he tugged on his sneakers without socks and grabbed his keys and wallet before walking back out to where Stiles was waiting for him.

The drive to the diner was filled with Stiles' mindless chatter with only short noises of acknowledgement from Derek to keep the words flowing. The car was filled with the scent of the both of them and Derek tried not to concentrate on how good they smelled together. Stiles who smelled of fresh flowers and sharp soap, which was undoubtedly from his shower, but underneath that was a richer scent, a uniquely human scent that made Derek's mouth water. That scent mixing with Derek's heady, animal scent practically drove his wolf wild.

He didn't let anything slip though and climbed out of the car quickly when they reached the diner, slamming the door shut on the rich air inside. Derek knew the scent would be there when they got back but he was at least free of it for the moment, which he took to calm himself down.

"This place has such great curly fries. I should ask them to put them in a burger for me this time as well as get a plate of them on the side. Their milkshakes bring all the boys to the yard. And girls too. And probably all the wildlife too since they are the bomb!" Stiles enthused as they made their way inside.

There were a good number of people inside since it was only nine-thirty at night. They weren't even the only ones in pajamas. Several teenage girls at a table in a booth were all decked out in pajama pants and sweaters since it was starting to round towards fall which meant chilly weather in Northern California. The days were generally hot as Hell but the nights got blissfully cool.

"What can I get for you gentlemen?" a waitress asks once they've been seated.

Stiles prattles out his order while Derek looks at the menu. When he finally makes his decision he looks up to see the waitress staring at him with big eyes and a red, flirty smile. She's twirling a golden ringlet of hair between her fingers. It's disturbing.

"I'll have the steak and potatoes. Rare. Thank you."

"Anything to drink?" she enquires as she writes down his order, looking at him every two seconds until she's done writing to stare at him again.

"Iced tea. No sugar."

"Would you like a side of fries or perhaps hash browns? Our salads are wonderful too."

"No thank you. That'll be all."

She takes the menus without taking her eyes off Derek before finally turning around and disappearing around the corner.

"Dude, that was the most hardcore check out I have ever seen in my life." Stiles snickers as he looks over to where the waitress had disappeared.

"Is that what she was doing? It was ridiculous." Derek scoffed.

"It was a tad excessive I'll admit but at least it got her point across. She was hitting on you _hard_!" Stiles laughs.

Derek just rolled his eyes and pulled napkins from the dispenser to place between the two of them. He knew Stiles would need one.

The waitress came back two minutes later with two drinks, setting them on the table in front of them.

"Just let me know if you two need anything at all, the name's Erica."

"Thank you." Stiles smiled and pulled his milkshake towards him and immediately began sucking the sweet, pink shake down.

Derek couldn't help but let his eyes linger on where Stiles' mouth wrapped around the straw before turning his gaze back to the young waitress who was staring between the two of them curiously.

"Wait, I totally recognize you. Stiles, right? Stiles Stilinski? The Sheriff's kid?" she asked and Stiles sputtered into his milkshake, coughing the liquid out of his windpipe.

"Uh…" he just stared at her, horror on his face.

Derek stared at him questioningly.

"Yeah! We were in ninth grade together. I don't know if you'd remember me. I was a shabby loser last year. Had a complete make-over this summer though. I thought you moved since I didn't see you at the beginning of the school year. What have you been up to if you're still around?"

Stiles' heart was beginning to beat fast, the tempo slightly irregular with panic.

"Uh, well, you see, my dad was…I…" he stuttered.

"He's been going through some things, needed some time off. Personal reasons." Derek quickly stepped in when it was clear that Stiles couldn't talk his way out of this one.

Erica turned back to him with a smile. "Oh. I don't think we've met. I'd definitely remember a face like yours. Where you from?"

"Around." Derek said with a polite smile. "I think your boss is looking for you."

Erica's smile drops and she spins around to see the balding floor manager glaring at her, beckoning her over with an angry hand. She immediately flits away, leaving the two of them in silence.

Stiles is staring into his milkshake with wide, terrified eyes. Derek doesn't say anything for a few minutes, waiting for the panicked pace of Stiles' heart to calm before finally saying something.

"High school then. I wasn't sure how old you were. I knew you were younger than me but I didn't realize by how much."

"Uh, yeah. High school."

"High school _sophomore_." Derek enunciated. "Should I be wondering why you're working four jobs instead of attending school?"

"No, no you shouldn't. Like you said, personal reasons."

Stiles' voice was weak and his hands were shaking slightly as he fiddled with the napkin in front of them. Derek wanted to say more but their food arrived by the hands of one thoroughly chastised Erica who left with a simple, 'Enjoy' before rushing away. Stiles just sort of picked at his burger while Derek ate his steak quickly.

Once Derek was done he asked for a box and a check and they were on their way, Stiles and his food in tow.

The car ride was quiet, uncomfortably so. The only sound came from the car beneath them until they reached Derek's house and even that noise was replaced by that irritating non-noise noise of silence.

"Stiles, I'm not going to ask you anything you don't want to talk about. I'm not going to report you to any of your managers either. I just want to make sure you're ok. You're working non-stop for money that I don't know what for. Do you need help? Is someone threatening you and your dad?"

Stiles' head shoots up and looks at Derek with horror and concern. "No! No, no, no, nothing like that. It's just…something happened and I have to make it right. I have to…fix it…as best I can."

Derek nods, grabbing Stiles' food from his lap and climbing out of the car. Stiles follows but at a slower pace as if he's just lost everything that has been keeping him going. Over the last couple months that Derek had gotten to know him he's never seen Stiles like this, never smelled the scent of sorrow so heavily upon him. He doesn't pry though and instead just walks beside him into the house, locking the door behind them.

As soon as he puts the food into the fridge for Stiles to eat later he jesters towards his room.

"Let's watch something on Netflix for a while. Have you seen Random Show?"

Stiles solemnly shakes his head.

"I think you might like it." He says gruffly, trying and probably failing to be reassuring.

Stiles seemed to be working on keeping his breathing steady and simply follows without a fuss as Derek leads him to his room, leaving the door open. He pulls a blanket on top of them once they settle onto the bed and pulls the laptop into their laps. When the episode starts he feels Stiles relax against him slowly. By the middle of the second episode Derek can feel the rest of that foul panic, fear mixture fade completely from Stiles. He pauses it just before the beginning of the third episode.

"You hungry yet?"

Stiles sits up all the way and stretches, his joints popping as he does.

"Dude, I'm starving." He yawns.

"I know. I can hear your stomach growling." Derek says lightly.

"I'm always hungry."

Stiles reheats his food and brings it back to the room where they watch one more episode of Random Show before Stiles' yawns are more often than not and Derek shuts off his computer.

"Tomorrow we'll do as much as we can on the garage then go for ice cream or something. That's what you kids like isn't it? Ice cream?"

Stiles snorted. "You sound like you're eighty. I'm not a kid."

"Kid, you are very much a kid."

Stiles just rolls his eyes before yawning again. Derek pushes him up from the bed and Stiles grasps onto his wrist to keep his balance before he steadies himself on his own two feet. The feeling of Stiles' hand against his skin makes Derek shiver, still feeling the ghost of the touch even after Stiles has let go.

"Ok, good night."

"Night." Derek says gruffly.

Stiles closes Derek's door on the way out and Derek simply sits there, fingers lightly pressed into the skin of his wrist where he swears it's still tingling from Stiles' touch. Man he is so screwed!

**A/N: I hope this chapter has given even a ray of light into Stiles' situation. I wrote this chapter to be specifically vague so yalls won't guess the plot line **_**too**_** quickly but I had to have some build-up **_**somewhere**_**. So here's the beginning of the middle! Woot!**

**I love yalls so much. Like, my heart is all aflutter. Yalls reviews are like honey to my graham cracker. Like tea to my biscuit. I'm going to stop because this is disturbing but you get the picture. Eesh. Weird picture. Anyway! Thanks for every single response I get, even if it's just a follow or favorite, it means a lot to me. ~hearts~**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I usually write every chapter in the early morning hours before I sleep so if there are ever any mistakes it's because it's at the butt end of my day. I say some crazy stuff when I'm tired but it's also when I'm the most creative. It's a design flaw I have. Heh.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Wolf**

**ENJOY!**

In the morning nothing is said about what had happened the night before. Stiles greeted Derek with a cheery but cautious smile and Derek simply nodded before grabbing his usual cup of water.

While Derek was out grabbing breakfast Stiles went to the garage and sat among the clutter, breathing and trying to keep his head in order. If Derek asked about what was going on he wasn't sure if he'd be able to tell him the truth. There was no way a responsible adult would allow what he was doing as an underage teen to continue if they knew his circumstances. Stiles just decides that if Derek does ask he'll either dodge the questions or tell him it's none of his business, because, really, it's not. That sounds pretty harsh though and he doesn't want Derek to hate him. Or fire him. He actually kinda likes Derek if truth be told. Like, who _wouldn't_ be attracted to all of _that_?!

His mind is still spinning in circles by the time he hears Derek's car pull up in the drive and he realizes he hadn't gotten anything done, simply fiddling with the edge of one of the many cloths in the dirt.

The garage door is yanked open, startling Stiles into whacking his elbow nice and hard against the weight bench he'd been leaning against.

"Oo, ouch. That's gonna smart later. What'd you get?"

"Pancakes, sausage, eggs, bacon, and hash browns from the diner. I wasn't sure how much you'd want so I just ordered three of everything. We can split it."

"Sounds good to me if I can have two servings of the bacon."

Derek rolls his eyes. "We'll just split it all evenly. The bacon is my favorite too. You can have the hash browns though. I don't care for potatoes." Derek said, handing the bag over to Stiles to grab whatever he wanted.

Stiles clutched his chest as if he'd been gravely wounded, staring at Derek with mock-horror. "You don't like potatoes?! What is wrong with you?! You _have_ to at least like mashed potatoes. Those are, like, the bomb dot com!"

"The bomb dot com? Really Stiles? Now who talks like an old man?"

"Hey! That's incredibly hip I'll have you know!" Stiles protests with a laugh as he digs into his pancakes on his side of the Styrofoam container.

Derek snorts a laugh which pleases Stiles to no end. It didn't seem like Derek laughed much so every time he smiled or laughed at something he said or did made warmth bubble through him.

They bicker as they polish off their breakfast. They ended up splitting the bacon almost evenly. Stiles managed to grab the last piece while Derek was distracted with shoving an entire pancake in his mouth. Stiles was quite impressed if not a little disgusted. Even he hadn't managed a single bite before. Always two or more.

The garage cleaning was a rigorous task which required heavy lifting on multiple accounts but eventually they managed to clear half of the garage by sundown. Once again they were filthy from the collection of filth over the years. Stiles stomach was trying to eat itself by the time he'd finished showering and changing into his pajamas. He hadn't forgotten his clothes or towel this time.

"Dude, you _need _to get some food in your kitchen. For one it's healthier, and two it's much less of a hassle. Having to run back and forth to fast food chains and the diner for every mean must eat up your gas and food money." He said as he flopped down on Derek's bed.

Derek just shrugs from his computer chair. "I'm used to it. Besides, the food from the diner or fast food joints tastes way better than anything I can ever manage to slop together."

Stiles raised an eyebrow at him. "It doesn't really surprise me that you can't cook actually. You spend all your time cooped up in your room writing whatever you're writing on your computer. I, on the other hand, am an amazing cook. I make the _best_ lasagna. Mm, that sounds good. Lasagna. It takes pretty long to make though. I can create almost anything when it comes to soups though. My favorite is a nice, golden brown grilled cheese with creamy tomato soup." Stiles stomach gives a long, suffering growl that makes him laugh. "You hear this?! I have a monster in my tummy! Feed meeee!"

Stiles breaks off into peals of laughter and Derek rolls his eyes even though he has a grin plastered on his face.

"It's only a little after seven, I'm sure the grocery stores are still open if you wanted to go." Derek offered, looking down at his phone screen to check the time.

"Is this going to be a thing? Going out in public in the evening in our pajamas? Not that I mind since everyone always says I have the worst fashion sense anyways but what about you? You'll lose face if you go out dressed in pajamas all the time."

"I don't have face to lose. I don't know anyone in this town and I don't care about what they think."

Stiles sits up completely on the edge of the mattress staring at Derek with shining eyes. "Right?! Screw them! Pajamas are wonderful and comfortable and should be worn all the time. It should be mandatory! Well, maybe not mandatory since then no one would actually like it since it inhibits creative freedom. Like uniforms! I would hate to have to wear a uniform all the time."

"So, yes to the store or no?"

"Oh right! Yes, I want to go to the store. If I let you go on your own you'd probably pick up a 48 pack of instant ramen and lunchables. I'll make sure you pick good stuff."

"What's wrong with ramen and lunchables?"

Stiles laughs. "Nothing except for how incredibly bad they are for you! Do you even _read_ the salt content in a single ramen cup? There's like a butt-ton of that shit!"

Stiles hops up from the bed and runs to grab his shoes while Derek chuckles to himself, grabbing his own shoes, wallet and keys.

"'Butt-ton." He laughs. "What on Earth?"

They pile into Derek's Camaro and speed off to the nearest grocery store where Stiles grabs an assortment of fruits, vegetables, breads, condiments, beverages, and meats, none of which are disgustingly processed except for the condiments which can't really be avoided. They drive home with a trunk filled to the brim with groceries and Stiles looking smug as fuck.

Once they have everything inside and put away Stiles starts getting ingredients for sandwiches out. In the middle of making the first sandwich Derek manages to open the mayonnaise upside down and smear it all over the countertop. He is promptly banned from the kitchen and instead is told to wait at the table for the food.

"You're going to have to learn how to survive on your own eventually. How on Earth did you make it this long on fast food? Your arteries must look like a sixty year old's, all clogged and shit." Stiles scolds as he sets down two huge ham sandwiches on the table.

"I'm completely healthy, trust me. Just because I don't eat healthily doesn't mean I don't take good care of myself. I'm in top shape."

Stiles rolls his eyes. "Uh huh, sure. You're probably going to pop a beer gut within the next five years if you continue down this path."

"I won't." Derek mumbles around a bite of sandwich.

Stiles wags his finger at Derek for a good ten seconds until he swallows his bit, Derek's eyes sparkling with amusement at the gesture. "Now look here mister, healthy food makes for a healthy body and unhealthy food makes for an unhealthy body. Didn't your mother teach you this?" Stiles berates but there's no real heat behind his words.

"Of course she did but then again I wasn't exactly top priority for her. I've got dozens of other family members for her to dote over."

There's a slight lull in the conversation as they both eat, Stiles staring at his sandwich every now and again as he remembers his own mother and how she used to dote on her two favorite men in the whole wide world.

"You're really lucky you have such a big family. It must be a really…loving environment." Stiles says with a small smile.

Derek's face softens a bit. "Yeah. They're pretty great. What about you?"

Stiles stills for all of a second before he shrugs, looking away from Derek and to the crumbs dotting his plate. "Uh, my family's small. Really small. So I don't really know what it's like for you." He gives a small, forced laugh before returning his gaze to Derek's.

"Well, small families can be nice too. Less commotion to deal with."

"I wish I had a family like yours. A really big one where there always seems to be little kids running around the adult's feet and teenagers angsting in the corner. Old men recounting their good ol' days and all the females gossiping at one table. It would be beautiful." Stiles sighs.

Derek stares at him for a long time and Stiles can't help but stare back. Stiles can't read the emotion in Derek's face but at least it doesn't look angry or uncomfortable.

"I'm sure you'll have one someday."

Stiles just sighs and shakes his head. "I don't know. Maybe. I doubt it though."

Derek doesn't say anything after that and instead gathers their plates up and tosses them. Stiles sits there while Derek cleans up but when he's done he comes over and sits right back down.

"Look, Stiles, I don't know what's going on and I won't push you since I myself don't like being pushed. If you want to talk I'll listen. It doesn't have to be now, it can be whenever."

Stiles is more than a little shocked at the offer but he smiles and nods his head. "Thanks. I'm not usually this mopey or sensitive about stuff and when I am I usually have my best friend Scott there to talk to but it seems even he has left the building for this one. I haven't really spoken to anyone in depth in a long time and my brain to mouth filter is stuck on a permanent "off" position so when I do talk to people I end up making them uncomfortable or angry. It's a bad habit that I just can't kick." Stiles give a small chuckle.

Derek nods and taps the table a couple of times, trying to think of something to say.

"Well, I'll listen. If you want."

Stiles nods. "Yeah, I might take you up on that offer one day. Maybe not tonight since I'm exhausted and can't handle the emotional stress." Stiles runs a hand across his buzz-cut hair and sighs, leaning back in the chair. "I should definitely sleep now or I'll have trouble waking up like I did this morning when my alarm went off. That was ridiculous."

Derek feels whatever tension that had built during the conversation melt away as they faded back into familiar territory. Stiles seemed to have a lot to deal with for a sophomore in high school and even though it wasn't any of his business he couldn't help but feel the need to question and comfort him until all of that sadness and fear that was always clinging to him finally dissipated for good.

He doesn't though which makes his wolf whine but keeps from spoiling whatever the two had between them. At this point he wasn't sure if they were still simply worker and client or more into the friendship territory. Whatever it was he didn't want to lose it so he kept his mouth shut as Stiles got up, stretched, and trudged to the guest room, shutting the door behind him.

Derek stayed up for a while longer, laying on his bed and thinking about Stiles and how different he feels since he'd first met the hyper active boy. As the days went by the feeling was less disconcerting as it was confusing. Maybe he just needed to stop freaking out about everything and accept whatever was happening. Maybe that's what he _needed_ but it wasn't what he _wanted._ It frightened him which in turn made him feel threatened and that was a button he really didn't want to press, especially with Stiles around.

Damn he was a mess.

**A/N: So, this chapter was a little blah feely. Not much happened but it's slowly building up into the main plot. It's just really slow since I'm terrible with time development and never know when to time skip. **

**To all the lovelies who review let me say a huge Thank You to alls of yalls since I can't actually message you back without feeling like a complete and utter moron. I'm terrible with actually talking to people which is why I don't respond to reviews like some authors might. So, sorry about that but it's to save myself the heartache and sanity of trying to find words! I know, shocking since I write out stories and all. Hyuck. Anyway, thank you so much, I love all of my readers and reviewers so much! ~hearts~**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: So, I've been taking this really slow and I realized that I was coming up on 100 pages and I've had no action whatsoever and kinda gasped. This chapter is to remedy that with a good dose of smut. I hope that'll satisfy yalls for the time being until I get to the really good stuffs. **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Wolf**

**ENJOY!**

Stiles slumped back against the wood of the door as soon as he'd said good night to Derek. He really needed to stop getting so emotional about everything. His business was his business and it wasn't right making Derek worry like that. He shouldn't have to offer to listen, he shouldn't have to worry about Stiles, and Stiles didn't deserve any of that kind concern.

Stiles slid to the ground, his head in his hands. This was getting a little out of hand. He'd thought they'd been making progress towards being friends but as soon as he saw the worry and confusion in Derek's eyes he realized that perhaps he'd let this all get too personal. Perhaps it wasn't "friendship" he'd been steering towards.

Taking deep breaths Stiles calmed himself. In. Out. Breathe.

Several long minutes passed before he could think rationally again but eventually he managed to pick himself up off the carpet and drag himself out of his clothes and into the bed. Once he'd fully settled into the clothes he used for a pillow he silently tried to hash out exactly what it was that he was feeling and what he was going to do about it.

For one: Derek was the most attractive, caring, and interesting man he'd ever met in his life. Yet, two: there was no way in hell Stiles could ever let Derek _know_ of his seemingly extreme attraction towards him. And, three: if Stiles really is attracted to Derek like _that_ then he'd have to keep it completely under wraps which meant no flirting, no innuendos, and no crowding. The last time he'd had a crush of this magnitude it'd been on a pretty, strawberry blonde genius with an evil streak a mile long. That hadn't gone well. So definitely with the keeping it to himself then.

That didn't mean that he couldn't dream though.

Laying there, thinking about all the days he'd been with Derek, talking to him, occasionally brushing up against him (on accident of course…totally), simply being in his presence, made his blood pump just a bit harder, made his breathing deepen just a bit slower, and had his skin heating just a bit hotter.

The way Derek moved like he was conscious of every fiber of carpet he walked on, the way his voice rumbled just a bit deeper when he was please, the way his eyes seemed to flash in the light when the sun hit them just right, all of it, made Stiles shiver with want.

Slowly, quietly, Stiles flattened his hand against his chest, biting at the knuckles of his other hand to make sure he remained quiet. It wasn't hard to imagine one of Derek's hands, warmer and slightly tougher than Stiles', in place of his own hand as he smoothed it across his chest, lightly trailing the tips of his fingers of one nipple, biting his knuckle to keep a moan from escaping. Gently he teased himself, tracing his pert nipple lightly before giving it a harsh pinch. The rush of pleasure that shot throughout his body made him moan deep in his throat, the sound somehow making him even more excited when he thought about Derek being in the other room, how he might hear him if he were too loud.

The front of his boxers slowly tented as his cock fattened up against his thigh, lying sideways so he had room to move his hand away from the blanket and mattress just in case he left a stain. The fabric felt almost too rough against the sensitive head, making bite a little harder at his finger. He let his fingers linger a little longer on his nipples, teasing them into hard peaks, before trailing lower, brushing through the treasure trail below his belly button. The elastic band slid away as he hooked his thumb under the edge and finally let his dick pull free of the fabric.

The head of his dick was leaking slightly, precum dewing the top enough to slick over the tip with his fingertip. The sensation was so intense Stiles simply sucked his index and middle fingers into his mouth, sucking on them to keep his tongue occupied. He wanted so desperately to wrap his hand around himself and jerk himself to completion but the temptation to go slow and imagine it was _Derek_ doing it to him was too great.

In his mind's eye he could see Derek, his well-worn grey Henley stretching over his muscles as he moved and his fingers pressed slightly harder against the tip, smearing the precum that flowed forth down the underside of his cock. The image of Derek's mouth, smiling at something Stiles said or opening to receive a bite of food had Stiles sucking harder at his fingers, his tongue sliding between the digits. What finally got his hand to close around his shaft was the memory of warmth from Derek's body whenever he'd brush by, touching him on accident or on purpose.

Stiles could imagine the way Derek's hand would be strong and sure, gripping him tight in his fist and slowly jerking him. After all of three seconds Stiles had to wrench his fingers from his mouth, unable to breath simply through his nose and drew in panting breaths. The images and fantasies flashing through his mind made him whine in the back of his throat. The thought that Derek was in the next room made Stiles' body clench, his hand flying over his dick. His wet fingers added more slide as he put both hands on himself and the extra sensation had his balls drawing up.

Quickly he kicked the blanket off and turned onto his stomach, back arching as he came all over his hands and stomach. Stiles collapsed back against the bed as if his strings had been cut, panting open-mouthed into the air. He couldn't remember the last time he'd come so hard he'd seen stars like that. The buzz of the afterglow lasted long minutes, making his mind fuzzy and slow. It took him a bit to unclench his fist from around his soft dick and grimace at the tack of his cum as it slowly dried against his skin. Well, at least it was easy enough to clean up with the boxers he kicked off, making sure he didn't miss anything and risk leaving evidence behind.

Once Stiles was thoroughly clean and cum free he reached over the side of the bed and dragged a clean pair from his bag up his legs so he was at least clothed if Derek decided to wake him up in the morning. After he was once again covered by his blanket he allowed his exhausted, blissed-out mind to slip into unconsciousness.

When Derek woke up he could already hear Stiles awake in his room, moving about and tugging on zippers. Moving quickly he brushed his teeth and made his way out to the kitchen so he could see what he might be able to prepare for breakfast now that they had food. He was staring into the fridge when Stiles' door was yanked open and Stiles spilled out into the living room.

"Ow! Damn it. Holes in jeans, tripping, ow. Toe." Derek heard Stiles mutter.

"I'm not really sure what…" Derek began to say as he turned to watch Stiles walk into the kitchen but froze, nostrils flaring as he got a good whiff of the boy.

Stiles froze as Derek did, hands out as if bracing himself for something.

"What?! Is there something wrong? Am I about to step on something? Is there something on my face?" Stiles asked really quickly without moving.

Derek quickly shook his head and closed the fridge, going over to the cupboards on the other side of the kitchen to grab his usual glass on autopilot.

"Uh, no, it's nothing. I was just lost in thought for a moment. Go ahead and prepare anything you'd like for breakfast." Derek assured him quickly as he filled his cup to the brim and quickly downed it in three gulps.

Derek couldn't see what Stiles was doing but he didn't have to. In fact, he didn't even need his sense of hearing to tell where Stiles was, scent alone would give the boy away. As soon as the boy had stepped into the kitchen the scent of cum and arousal seemed to drench the air, choking Derek. The scent of Stiles was so strong, so _alluring_ that it had shocked Derek through and through. What was worse though was his wolf's reaction: the strong urge to lunge at the boy and rub himself all over him, scent him and leave his own scent of spunk behind. It had nearly overwhelmed Derek and the only thing that had stopped him was the concentration it took to process Stiles' words, to hear the sounds of his voice so he didn't accidentally give in to his wolf and expose himself in more ways than one.

Once Derek was firmly back in control of himself, breathing in through his mouth and not his nose, he turned around to face the boy who was currently pulling fruits and yogurt from the fridge.

"I was thinking a fruit salad from breakfast. It's fast and healthy and gives us the energy we need for the work we need to get done today. What do you think? That sound ok with you?"

It took Derek a moment to realize Stiles was actually talking to him and not to thin air since he was so concentrated on the sound of Stiles' voice and not on his actual words.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, that's fine. Go ahead and make whatever you want. I'll eat pretty much anything you make." Derek confirmed and cleared his throat before grabbing another glass of water and chugging it down to cover his awkwardness.

Derek sat down at the table and watched Stiles work, watching the way he cut each apple, peach, and melon. It was almost mesmerizing watching the boy move. Derek could see the barely restrained energy in each movement and could hardly keep up with his answering grunts at every sentence or question Stiles threw his way. When Stiles finally sat two bowls of yogurt and fruit on the table Derek was completely lost at what to do or say.

"You feeling alright buddy? You look kind of spooked." Stiles asked as he sat down across from Derek, back facing the living room.

"Uh, no, I'm fine. Just…mornings. I'm a little slow sometimes to wake up." Derek said quickly, picking up his fork and stabbing a grape to shove in his mouth.

Stiles raised one eyebrow but just shrugged and started eating as well. They were more than halfway done when Derek finally registered everything that Stiles had been saying before.

"You know, we can take it easy today if you'd like. Everything in the left side of the garage requires heavy lifting and since we've been working so hard these past couple of days it'd be nice to have a down day. Besides, it's Saturday. We should just do…stuff." He finished awkwardly.

Stiles stared at him in contemplation, head tilting as he went over things in his head. Finally he shrugged and nodded.

"Alright, sounds good to me. We can pick it up next week or whenever we decide to clean again."

"Cool. Is there anything you want to do today then?"

Stiles shrugged. "I dunno. I never have any down time so usually I just sleep or go to the library to job hunt."

Derek nodded. "Well, I know that new superhero movie just came out and there's a theater not twenty miles from here."

"Oh! You mean the one with the lasers and robots in it?!" Stiles exclaimed, hands doing a little windmill in his excitement.

"Yeah, that one. I'm willing to pay for the ticket and snacks if you'd go with me."

Stiles face quickly went from its usual creamy, pale color to a bright pink. "Uh, yeah, I…uh…that sounds good. Totally…good."

"You ok?" Derek asked, putting his fork into his empty bowl and reaching over towards Stiles' fidgeting hand, touching his knuckles lightly.

Stiles jumps a little but doesn't pull away. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine. I'm just not used to going anywhere with anyone, especially not with someone who would pay for me and ask me so nicely. It's, uh, kinda cool."

Derek watched him trip over his words and couldn't help but feel his heart thump a little harder and his cheeks get a little warmer.

Derek clears his throat and nods, still not pulling his hand away. "Well, it'll be a good thing to get you used to it."

Somehow Stiles' face manages to burn a little brighter, flushing a deeper red and Derek replays what he just said in his head and can't help but feel like a complete and utter fool.

"Uh, wait, that sounded…that came out wrong. I meant that…you should have someone to go out with…wait…that still sounds wrong." Derek just gives up and buries his face in his hand, finally pulling his other hand back.

Before he can fully pull away Stiles' fingers catch his and Derek peeks at him from between his fingers, his face now just as red as Stiles'. So much for subtlety. He really sucked at this "conversation" thing.

"Uh, I know what you mean. It's ok, I totally get it. That wording though, kinda hilarious." Stiles chuckles and squeezes his fingers before retreating again.

Derek breathes deeply for a few more seconds before lowering his hand and staring at Stiles who is pointedly _not_ looking at him although if the shifting of his eyes mean anything, it clearly looks like he wants to. It's kind of endearing actually.

And the fact that it's endearing scares Derek a little, making him jolt from his relaxed state into a more alert manner. How had he let himself get so lost all of a sudden? Was he drunk on the scent of Stiles or something? It was frightening how just a month ago he was swearing up and down that he'd never let himself get close to another human being ever again and yet here he was, flirting with one. Although, this one was quite a bit different than the last. Human all the same though.

"Uh, right. I'm going to take care of the dishes. You can go get…washed up." Derek said gruffly, quickly pushing his chair back and gathering up the bowls, dumping them in the sink and running the water.

"Right. I'll…go shower then. I…uh. Yeah." Stiles said awkwardly but Derek didn't turn to watch him as he quickly pushed away from the table and retreated back to the guest bedroom.

As soon as he heard the door to the bathroom close and lock he shut off the water and ran to his room, fumbling for his phone plugged in on his night stand. Quickly he pulled up his contacts and dialed the first number there.

"_Derek?"_

"Laura, I don't know what to do."

**A/N: Well, this was fun to write! The next chapter was even more fun to write. Teehee. Be dangled off this cliff for a couple of days until I get around to posting the next bit. Can't have things going too quickly!**

**Honestly though, I've been getting the best reviews and yall's support is just the best thing ever, knowing that I can at least provide a story that'll be read even by a few people. Originally I hadn't wanted to post this in chapters since I've done that with all my other stories but I get really down about my writing, feeling like I'm not doing anything worth-while and decide to post chapters that way if it doesn't do well then I'll just scrap the idea and move on. Yall's support has kept this going. Thank you all so, so much. ~hearts~**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Let the next exciting chapter commence! I had fun with this one guys, I hope you can tell. Derek gets a bit OOC with his whole…thing… but I hope yalls can understand where I'm coming from and bear with me, it's just for the time being. Also, this is just a bit AU so there's bound to be some differences.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Wolf.**

**ENJOY!**

"_Derek? Calm down. Take deeeep breaths Derek._" Laura's voice on the other end of the line spoke slowly and soothingly.

"Laura, there's this person…you were right… I'm not ready for this Laura."

"_Derek, stop."_ Laura commanded and immediately Derek stopped his harsh breathing and froze in the middle of his pacing. _"Listen to me Derek Hale. You need to tell me what's going on this instance or I will dial up mom on the other line."_

Derek took a deep breath and let it out in a shuddery stream. "Ok. You know how you told me to clean my house and that I only had a month? Well, I didn't clean it on my own. I hired someone to help me but I made a mistake when I hired them. I thought they were supposed to clean in the day and leave at night then come again in the morning but it turns out they were supposed to be able to stay at the house over night until the job was finished so I let them stay and it took almost two week for the job to be done and by that time I was…familiar with them." Derek pauses when he hears his sister take a breath on the other side.

"_Derek…are you freaking out because you made a friend? Is this actually happening right now?"_

"No! That's the thing Laura! After I realized I'd gotten attached I figured I might as well take your advice and try and make a friend so I hired him again but it didn't happen that way! I _like_ him Laura. I can't…I invited him to a movie just now and I worded it all weird and he smells so good and my wolf…I just… _Laura_!" Derek nearly sobs into the phone.

"_Ok, ok, I understand Derek. Listen, I'm getting in my car right now. It'll take maybe thirty minutes for me to be there. I want you to calm down, take deep breaths, and keep yourself together until I get there and then we can talk. Have your…friend…go do something for a bit while we talk so he doesn't overhear anything. Does that sound good?"_

Derek couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed and yet incredibly relieved at the childish tone his sister was giving him. It made him feel both stupid and reassured at the same time.

"Alright. I'll ask him to go pick up a few things at the store."

"_Sounds good. Send him away before I get there, just in case."_

"Ok."

"_Ok. I'll be there in twenty-five minutes. I love you. Keep yourself together just a little longer."_

"Ok. Thanks."

"_Any time baby bro."_

When the line went dead Derek couldn't help but feel a bit of panic well back up but he quickly shoved it down. He slowly began pacing his room, thinking up things to say to Stiles to get him out of the house for at least half an hour while his sister was here. When the shower went off in the other bathroom he froze and quickly grabbed a pen and paper and began jotting down a grocery list for Stiles to grab at a market at least twenty minutes away so he'd be out for as long as possible. He emerged from his room, stoic-faced and stilted as Stiles got dressed in his room, leaving his keys and some money on the counter as he finished writing up the list.

"Hey, can you grab a couple things from a market across town before the movies? Just a bit more so we'll be stocked before you leave." Derek felt his heart thump in fear at his slip of the tongue on the word "we'll".

This wasn't Stiles' house. It was his.

Stiles reached out and took the list, reading through it as Derek backed up a couple steps.

"Ice cream, cake, cookies… I didn't know you had such a sweet tooth! Sure, I'll grab these real quick so we don't miss the movie."

"Take your time! There's no rush. The movie's playing all day. You can just grab my keys from the counter; I need to shower as well." Derek said as he retreated back into his room.

Stiles watched him with confused eyes but Derek couldn't see any suspicion and was immensely grateful for that.

As soon as Stiles was out the door and driving down the driveway with a wad of cash Derek had left on the counter with his keys, Derek texted his sister to tell her that Stiles had just left and only had to wait another ten minutes before her car pulled up to his house. He threw open the door and rushed towards his sister as she climbed out of her car in a hurry, leaving her purse in the car in her haste.

Her arms wrap around him and the soothing scent of family and pack wash over him, stilling the fear that had climbed up and made root in his throat and chest. He hugged her tight and buried his face in her neck as she did the same. Her hands were carding gently through his hair, her mouth making small shushing noises into his ear.

"Come Der-bear, let's sit down inside and talk slowly about this. This can't be rushed."

Derek drew in one last comforting breath and slowly let his sister go so they could walk inside. As soon as Laura walked past the threshold her nostrils flared and a single eyebrow went up but that was the only reaction she gave to the potent scent of Stiles in the house. They never opened windows until the last day of Stiles' visit so his scent was incredibly strong, especially after Stiles had opened his door this morning and the scent of his arousal and cum had poured out into the rest of the house. Thankfully Laura didn't say anything and simply made her way to Derek's room where it smelled the least of Stiles and most of Derek so it'd be the most soothing place for him.

As soon as they were settled cross-legged, facing each other on Derek's bed Laura nodded and said, "Alright, let's start at the beginning. Where do you want to start?"

Derek shrugged, looking down at his hands where they played with Laura's fingers. "I didn't mean for it to happen. I didn't even mean for a friendship to form, let alone these…feelings. I don't think I can do this Laura. I'm terrified of him but I want him so bad. It'd be better if I just let Stiles go home and never contacted him again."

"I said beginning Derek. I take it this 'Stiles' is the one that you hired to clean your house the first time, the same one I smelled?" Derek nodded solemnly. "His scent was concentrated in your room so he must've stayed in here. It's not that strange for you to form an attachment to him, especially after so long without any contact with anyone but your family. Werewolves are pack creatures Derek, you need constant contact or you'll either end up losing yourself to your wolf or end up in a situation like this. You're confused and scared and after what's happened in the past I can understand it. It's been nine years since you've let yourself get close to anyone else."

Derek felt pain and guilt flood through him and immediately Laura was there, pulling him closer. "Hey, no, listen before you start all that. I _understand_ but I also think this is really good for you. All these insecurities, all these fears and doubts and confusing _things_ you're feeling mean you _care_. With everyone you've met, your editors, fans, other locals, this is the first person you've felt positive things towards and it scares you but it also makes you happy. Derek, you shouldn't push him away simply because you're a little frightened."

"Laura, the last time I felt these "positive" things my entire family almost ended up dead. I _can't_ make that mistake against Laura, I just _can't_! That's not just something you get over! And even if I _were_ to somehow get over it there's the fact that he's a human and I'm a werewolf. We just don't belong together. He'd be _terrified_ if he ever knew what we were and if he weren't he'd _hate_ me and I just…I can't Laura. For one, he doesn't deserve to be haunted with a secret like that and for another, he's so young!" Derek shook his head in disgust. Not disgust at Stiles or Laura but at himself.

"Derek, that's a choice you'll have to make on your own. Sure you should probably talk to mom and dad about revealing our nature to a human, especially since the last one you chose was so incredibly bad but ultimately, it's your choice to choose and trust him. You and I both know that age and gender doesn't matter. Species usually doesn't matter either. Your wolf chose him for a reason and after so long of ignoring it I think you should listen for once. It could be very good for you."

"It could also be very bad for both us and him. He's so sad Laura, like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders and he doesn't know what to do with it. He works so hard every day, all day and I don't know why. Actually, I don't really know anything about him. I just know that his name is Stiles Stilinski, he's sixteen years old, and his father is the Sheriff. I know where he lives and he likes Batman more than Superman but I don't know much more than that."

Laura just kind of looks at him, smirking slightly with a single raised eyebrow and he frowns, confused.

"Derek, that sounds like you know a lot about him. I bet if you really think about it you'll know the foods he likes, the kind of clothes he wears, what music he listens to, and even what he dreams about at night." She gives a pointed look towards his door, meaning the room beyond the living room with the duffle bag full of half washed clothes.

Derek blushes as he thinks of all the answers to those examples his sister gave and is shocked to realize he does know most of those.

"What do you mean I know what he dreams about? How could anyone kn…" he cuts off at the sly look his sister gives him before flaring her nostrils meaningfully and quickly ducks his head as his face flushes all the way up to his ears. "Ok, I get your point. Still doesn't mean I'm ready for this to happen."

"Pshhh," his sister gives a weird noise as if he's just said the most ridiculous thing. "of course you're not! You still need to get used to him, accept who and what he is and in turn accept yourself and everything that has happened and what will happen because if you continue this way you'll truly be miserable for the rest of your life no matter how much your family is here for you. Of course I still need to meet him and mom and dad will want to meet him and then the pack is going to want to meet him…"

"Laura, not helping with the stress." Derek growled.

Laura just laughs and pats his cheek. "I'm not going to tell on you yet baby brother. I wouldn't do that, especially not when you're this insecure about the whole thing. You don't need that kind of stress."

"You think?" he grumbles.

"Well, I won't push you to do anything…too hard. What I think you should do is pursue this, albeit cautiously. Get to know him, get closer to him, figure out just what you can expect from this, though if the smell is anything to go by he's totally digging you already. Then again, who doesn't?" Laura laughs even as Derek scowls.

"You're such a troublemaker. Why I listen to you is a mystery to me."

"Because you love me and know I'm right." She kisses him on the cheek. "Now, you done with your freak out session? Want to talk about your plans for today or even for the next time you see him?"

Derek heaves a sigh and shakes his head, rubbing at the back of his neck. "You know, honestly, I have no clue on where to go from here. I don't know how to face him after realizing it isn't friendship that I ended up feeling for him. It's kind of like having to face a lie that just kept on growing bigger and bigger."

"You know, for a writer you're not very good with your words. How about you hire him exclusively. Every week he'll come to clean your house and at the same time you two can bond. How does that sound?"

"I was…kind of already thinking that."

"See?! Great minds think alike!" she pats her brother on the back and moves so she's leaning against the wall, wagging her feet off the edge of the bed. "I really want to meet this Stiles now. What kind of person can get my baby brother so riled up?" she whips her head towards him and he startles. "Tell me about him. What does he look like? What made you keep him in the first place?"

Derek just shakes his head. "I am so not up for this yet."

"Aw, come on! I wanna know! Tell me! Is he cute? I bet he's fuckin' adorable. He must be if you've taken such a liking towards him. I was a little surprised that you managed to keep it together for as long as this, especially if it smells like _this_ in the house."

"It's the first time it's happened and I think that's what essentially made me freak out." Derek shrugged but he was smiling, finally relaxed. "You'd probably like him. Same motor mouth that you have but without the brain to mouth filter. He seems pretty smart but for some reason he's not in school. It worries me."

"Aw! You're so cute Der-bear!" Laura laughed.

Derek wanted to frown but his sister's laugh was contagious and couldn't help but laugh as well…until the rumbling of a vehicle's engine cut off outside.

"Shit! He's back, Laura, he's back. I don't know what to say! You're here and he'll see you and…"

"Derek, shut up." Laura reprimanded and Derek immediately cut himself off, feeling stupid for the sudden freak out.

For some reason his sister had a way of breaking down all his walls and boundaries and restraints he put on himself and had him acting like a little kid again. It was only her that had the ability to do that.

"You are going to greet him and introduce me like a proper gentleman then help him bring in the groceries and have a lovely time at the movies. Move slowly so that you don't overwhelm yourself but try and make your intent clear since humans seem to have an issue with gender stuffs."

"Gender stuffs? Really?" Derek bemoaned but was cut off by the sound of the car doors slamming and the rustle of plastic bags.

Derek quickly shot up from his bed, his features schooled into a mask of calmness as he quickly opened his bedroom door, Laura following him out into the living room as the front door opened.

Stiles walked in with at least three bags in each hand, mouth open as if he were about to say something but quickly shut it when his eyes settled on Derek and Laura.

"Ah, hey, uh, hi! I'm Stiles. I didn't mean to just barge in like that with all the noise and banging but it was hard to open the door with so many bags and I didn't want to put them down since it's a hassle to pick back up and it's either one trip or die trying! Uh…I'm the, uh, housekeeper…cleaner…person." Stiles shifted from foot to foot at the awkwardness that was spewing from his mouth. "You know what, I'm just going to go put these down on the counter and then come back and do that all over again because I'm absolutely positive I just made a huge ass of myself. Excuse me." Stiles laughed and quickly retreated to the kitchen.

Laura watched him with wide eyes before fixing her gaze upon her brother, mouth open slightly in astonishment. Derek just shrugged and nodded.

"See what I mean?"

"He's fucking adorable. You're keeping him. I don't care what you say, you're keeping him." She whispered back before turning to greet Stiles as he awkwardly made his way back out.

"Stiles, it's nice to finally meet you. My name's Laura, I'm Derek's older sister."

Stiles' shoulders visibly relaxed and the sour scent of anxiety and mild hurt seemed to vanish that Derek didn't even realize was there since Stiles so often smelled like that. He felt bad at not having realized it was there in the first place and made a silent note to watch out for that from now on.

Laura seemed to pick up on it too if the nudge Derek got from her elbow was any indication when she went to shake Stiles' hand.

"It's nice to meet you as well. Derek hasn't told me anything about you aside from the fact that you exist. I saw the car and figured he had a guest but I hadn't expected you to be standing in the living room so sorry for my rudeness."

"It's no problem at all. Now Stiles, Derek tells me you've helped out a lot over the past couple of months and I can't thank you enough for all your work. He's been cooped up here for years with no one around and it's so nice to see him with someone again. Make sure he does his fair share of work though. Lazy little shit's gonna end up lost in his sea of filth if he's left to his own devices."

"Laura!" Derek protests but Stiles just laughs loud and long and he can't help but stare fondly at the boy.

"Well, I'm the one being paid so until that stops I'll be the one taking care of him. Did you know he doesn't know how to cook? How in the world has he survived on take-out alone for so long? His arteries are probably as clogged as a McDonald's toilet on a Sunday afternoon."

Laura lets out a startled burst of laughter at the comparison before falling into a full belly laugh and Derek just rolls his eyes, throwing his hands up in defeat.

"Whatever. You two go make fun of me somewhere else. I have groceries to put away."

"You know you love it Der-bear, don't lie." Laura teased as Derek stalked away into the kitchen.

"Der-bear?" Stiles snickered and Derek froze, glaring at him from around the corner.

"Nuh uh, no. That nickname is completely off limits. Laura shouldn't even be calling me that." Derek grumbles, continuing to grumble even as Laura and Stiles burst out laughing once more.

Laura ends up staying, chatting away easily to Stiles while eating a slice of cake he'd gotten from the store. Derek watches them fondly from where he's leaning against the counter until it's time to leave for the movies. He's much more relaxed now that he's been able to talk things out with Laura. He's not sure how far he's willing to go into this but seeing Stiles' innocent and easy banter with Laura really set his mind and heart at ease. Kate hadn't gotten along with Laura at all and he'd ignored that sign, a sign he wasn't willing to overlook this time.

"Have fun at the movies you two. No spoilers from either of you since I want to watch it too."

"Fiiiiine." Stiles moaned in mock disgruntlement but laughed as he waved her off.

"Love you Der-bear. Take care of Stiles! Don't lose him in your trash piles!" she calls as she climbs into her car.

"Love you too." Is all Derek says as he waves her away as well, Stiles by his side in the doorway. "What did you mean by 'you two'?"

"Oh, we exchanged numbers. Dude, your sister is hilarious!" Stiles laughed as they closed the door.

"Well keep your hands to yourself, she's engaged." Derek warns.

Stiles gives a half startled laugh. "Trust me dude, you don't have to worry about that." He assures him.

"Good." Derek chuckles.

"Heh, you have no idea." He mumbles.

Derek gives him an odd look but Stiles is already darting off to grab his shoes from where he left them under the table.

On the way to the movie theater Stiles was unusually quiet and Derek didn't push it until they were in line at the concession stands.

"You feeling alright Stiles?"

Stiles gives him a slightly startled look before looking back down at the ground almost guiltily. "Yeah! Totally fine. Why?"

"You seem…distressed. Is this because I asked you to keep your hands off my sister? I was joking you know?"

Stiles gives him what Derek thinks is supposed to be a reassuring smile but just looks sad and out of place.

"No way dude, I totally get why you'd say it. She's a female, I'm a male, we hit it off pretty good and that's what anybody would think, right?" he gives another forced chuckle all the while smelling like hurt and sadness and Derek doesn't understand why.

"I'm not just anybody Stiles. I understand that it wasn't like that."

"Yeah, no, I know. I just meant…urgh, this is hard to explain without feeling embarrassed and slightly terrified." Stiles mumbles.

Derek grabs his arm and pulls him out of the line, away from the other people. The feeling of sorrow pouring off the boy is making his wolf scratch at his skin, begging to comfort the boy. Once he's out of earshot of the other humans he turns Stiles to look at him, standing only a foot away.

"Stiles, you don't have to be scared or embarrassed. I don't know what it is you're trying to say but whatever it is I won't judge you for it if that's what you're thinking. You seem really put out by this and I really don't like when you feel that way if I can fix it or if I'm the cause of it."

Stiles gives a small chuckle. "How is it that you know exactly what to say now? You were floundering pretty awesomely a while ago. Made me feel articulate."

"I, uh, I just want to make sure you're ok." He says gruffly, turning his head in embarrassment. "And that you know I won't judge you."

Stiles stares at him for many long seconds before finally sighing and running a hand through his buzz cut hair. "Ok, well, the thing is…I don't really have a thing for chicks…well, I mean, I do but not right now."

Derek feels his heart leap in his chest. For a while longer they stand there, looking at each other with a mixture of hope, fear, and a slight bit of apprehension.

Finally Derek says, "Well…neither do I."

That single sentence has Stiles' heart beating like crazy, his face flushing a soft shade of red and somehow that makes Derek feel much better with how these things are proceeding.

After a bit more staring at each other Stiles clears his throat and looks back towards the concession lines that have thinned a bit the closer it gets to movie time.

"I actually feel much better now that I've gotten that off my chest and am now fully set on grabbing the largest popcorn and slushie they have of every flavor and enjoying it inside a dark movie theater while watching a great movie. What say you?"

Derek rolls his eyes and gives a huff of laughter. "I say let's get to it before all the good seats are taken and we're stuck in the neck breaker seats."

Stiles laughs as they get back in line. "Neck breaker seats. That's hilarious and true."

Derek buys Stiles his horrid concoction of frozen flavors and the largest popcorn, ignoring Stiles demand to pay for half, and they finally make their way into the large theater, sitting side by side in the middle rows, their arms almost laid on top of each other on the middle armrest and if asked after the movie Derek wouldn't be able to give the plot line if his life depended on it. Thank goodness it didn't because when the movie finally ended and the lights turned back on Derek turned to see that Stiles eyes were fixed on his face, only darting away when he realized that Derek was looking back.

Derek felt a bit smug on the ride back, glancing at Stiles out of the corner of his eye every now and again to find him staring at him more often than not and felt that maybe, just _maybe_, he could do this. If it was Stiles, he might be able to do it.

**A/N: Now THIS chapter was the most fun to write. Derek's freak out, Stiles' reveal of 'feelings', some development for both characters, and finally some development in the actual story. I've been pish-poshing about how in the world I was going to get this story moving and I feel like I've finally got a start. **

**Wow…106 pages in and I'm just getting started. Woo. This is gonna be one of **_**those**_** stories. **

**Well, I'm writing up the next chapters now so I hope I can finally have this all start to go somewhere good, like I've been meaning to. All of yalls have been hangin' in there and I can't tell you how grateful I am. Well, I can try…that's what words are for. Um…I'm grateful yalls! Can you feel the lurv?! Anyway, all of yall's reviews are really what keep me going. Every favorite and follow are so very appreciated. Thank you all so much! ~hearts~**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: There are troubles and it's not even paradise! I'm finally fallin' into the groove of things with this story. It's so slow build that if I didn't time skip it'd be a freaking bajillion pages long! So I've sped things up a bit, adding in more details and less dilly dallying of time. I hope yalls enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Wolf**

**ENJOY!**

Stiles couldn't help but feel a nervousness deep in his belly. He'd just ousted himself to Derek, practically telling him straight out that he was attracted to him and _how_ in the world has Derek _still_ not thrown him out was beyond him. If he were to give himself a chance Stiles was sure he'd be able to give this 'thing', whatever it was, a try but he just couldn't. He'd already gone too far by telling Derek he 'liked him' even if it weren't in those exact words.

He needed to distance himself. He just hoped he had the will to do it.

Once they returned to Derek's house he quickly rushed to his room, throwing all his clothes and affects into his duffle bag, needing to be out of the house, away from Derek…away from temptation. He glanced at the bed, staring at the rumpled blankets he'd relieved himself in not twenty-four hours ago and sighed at the longing he felt.

This was getting ridiculous.

Derek was waiting outside the room when he finally walked out with all of his stuff. Stiles blushed, guilt and something akin to sadness welled up in him when he thought that maybe he shouldn't come back. None of this was Derek's fault, in fact, Derek was perhaps a little too perfect and somehow that made it all the worse.

"So, uhm, I need to get back so that I can start my nightshift at the diner." Stiles lied so that he at least had a 'reasonable' excuse to get away from Derek before he could ruin anything with his feelings.

Derek looked taken aback and maybe even a little hurt at Stiles' words and Stiles prayed Derek wouldn't question him and breathed a silent heave of relief when all Derek did was nod, tight lipped.

"Sorry," he said as they walked to the car, "I…" Stiles just shook his head.

For the life of him he couldn't come up with a decent enough sentence to explain what was going on inside him.

Derek simply nodded and quickly ducked into the driver's seat, starting the engine while Stiles piled his stuff into the back seat and climbed into the passenger's seat. The drive to Stiles' house was filled with silence. It hung heavy in the air between them. Whenever Stiles would glance over at Derek he'd seen an increasingly deep frown across his forehead as well as a perplexed and hurt look in his eyes. About ten minutes from Stiles' house Derek broke the silence.

"Are you ok?"

Stiles startled at the unexpected question, tensing, and open and closed his mouth a few times before deflating into his seat.

"You know, I'm not really sure." He whispered, looking down at his fidgeting fingers.

Derek nodded and drove in silence for a little longer before opening his mouth once more.

"Stiles, I don't really know you very well but I know enough to know you're not ok where you are right now. I'm…worried." He said gruffly, glaring hard out the windshield.

Stiles stares at him, startled before sighing.

"I guess you're right. Is this your subtle way of trying to tell me to talk about it?"

"This is my subtle way of telling you that I'll listen."

Stiles gapes at him for all of two seconds before looking back at his twiddling thumbs. "Oh."

They're silent again until they pull up to Stiles' house but he doesn't climb out. His chest and head are filled with emotions and thoughts that he's been trying to keep squashed down. If he told Derek everything now he'd no doubt hate him, he'd think he was stupid and never want to talk to him again. It was something he just couldn't do. He _liked_ Derek.

Holy shit.

He _liked_ Derek. Like….like liked Derek.

This was a disaster. A disaster he didn't know how to get out of. Maybe if he just dove in deep enough he'd finally be done with it, find the bottom if there was one. But that'd take a lot of guts he didn't have. Yet. Finally he looked up, finally getting his mind in the right place.

"I will tell you everything…but not now. I don't think I'd be able to handle it right now. You're…too good for me." Stiles chuckled humorlessly but was startled out of his self-depreciation when Derek let out an angry sound.

"You have no _idea_ what I've done. I have my own demons too Stiles. Trust me, I'm not too good for you. If anything you are so beyond my grasp it's funny I'm even thinking about it."

Stiles heart stuttered in his chest at the implied meaning behind those words. Derek was _thinking_ about grasping for Stiles. That meant something, right? Stiles shook his head. It was probably just grasping towards friendship…he could live with thinking that. If he were to hope for anything else Stiles was sure it'd damage him even worse.

"Are we friends?" Stiles asks after several minutes of deep thinking.

Derek jerks his head in his direction, brow furrowed in either concentration or annoyance, Stiles isn't sure which.

"I…think so. If you'd like to be friends then…sure. I thought that was where this was headed." Derek says the last part so quietly Stiles isn't sure if there was something hidden in those words of if they were simply just words. He can't say.

"Ok, good. It's nice to have friends." Stiles smiled and finally opened his door, stepping out of the car.

"Uh, I was thinking…" Derek said when Stiles opened the back door to grab his bag. "Would you like to be singularly employed by me instead of by the company? I'll pay you double what you're making now. You might even be able to quit some of the other jobs."

Stiles is so completely startled by this that he drops his bag. Cursing he picks it back up and slings it over his shoulder.

"Dude, that's a lot of money and I don't really do anything except clean your house. I eat your food and use your water and take up a room whenever I'm there. I mean…that's gotta be really inconvenient."

Derek shook his head quickly. "I wouldn't offer it if I didn't mean it. You should be going to school and worrying about homework and tests and what to wear the next day instead of worrying about making enough money for whatever it is you're saving for and I'm sure your dad must be worried sick."

Stiles feels like a pit opened up in his stomach at the reminder of his father. Guilt and sorrow pour through him at the thought of his father finding out what he's been doing. He'd definitely not approve of any of it.

"I…uh…well, that's kind of an intense offer. I'll have to think about it. I mean…what if you change your mind and get sick of me, I'll have nowhere to go." Stiles' voice breaks.

Derek stares at him with such intensity that it makes him shift from foot to foot, looking anywhere but at Derek.

"I mean it Stiles. You need to be in school, going through classes so that when you graduate you'll be able to at least graduate with all of your friends _and_ have a high school diploma. Then maybe you'll be able to get a better job somewhere. College could even become an option."

There was a panicked feeling in Stiles' chest at the hopes that Derek were bringing up in him. It was just too impossible at the moment and to start hoping would be more pain than to simply not. So he puts up one hand and takes deep breaths in through his nose and out through his mouth. He didn't need to have a panic attack right here.

"One thing at a time dude. I can't handle everything at once. I need to have at least three days before I really commit to anything since any quicker and I'd have not thought it through enough."

There's silence for several beats before Stiles hears Derek shift in his seat.

"Alright. Until then you should get some rest and text or call me if you need anything. Even if you don't need anything…still text."

Stiles looks at his blank face for a few seconds before nodding.

"I'll text you later then."

Derek nods and turns back around in his seat to face forward. Stiles takes that as his cue for closing the door and heading into his house. Derek's car idles by the sidewalk until Stiles is through the door and shutting it behind him before speeding off.

Stiles sinks to the ground, legs turned to nerveless jelly. His mind seems to be on an endless loop of all the possibilities set before him all of a sudden. It was all so overwhelming he could only sit there with his head in his hands for several minutes before picking himself back up and trudging up the stairs to his nearly empty room.

Staring at his blank walls and empty floor had the guilt and sadness overwhelming him once more. There was just too much…he couldn't handle it.

Sinking into his bed he covered his face and cried. Silent tears wet his face and his hands, trailing down his wrists. He was so alone, so overwhelmed, so lost… It was too much.

Stiles cried himself to sleep that night, like most nights when he was alone in his dark room. Even in his sleep his mind was restless, nightmare after guilt induced nightmare flitted through his mind, torturing him. In the morning he didn't feel at all rested as he showered and got ready for work.

On the second day after Derek'd dropped him off he began considering telling Derek everything. The burden lay so heavily in his chest that it weighed him down through everything he did. Maybe if he had someone to talk to he'd be able to he'd feel less like he was drowning and more like there was an end to this madness.

On the third day he decided to call Derek.

"Uh, hey Derek. You're phone's probably dead or off or something, sorry for bothering you. I just wanted to tell you that I thought about what you said and maybe I would like to talk about…things…if you wanted. If you've changed your mind I totally understand. So, uh, feel free to call or text whenever. I'll…"

The dial tone cut him off at the end of his message. For a couple seconds he panicked, thought of calling him back, but decided against it since leaving one message was more than enough, even a half though out one like the monstrosity he just left. His feelings were so conflicted but his mind needed the relief.

He only had to wait two anxious filled hours before his phone started ringing, Derek's name flashing on the screen. It only rang once before he answered.

"Hello?" he answered a little over eager.

"_Stiles. Sorry about missing your call earlier. I hadn't realized my phone had died until I pulled it out to check for messages. I got your voicemail."_

"Right, that thing. I…uh… You know, I spend most of my time talking but when it comes right down to it I have no idea what to say." Stiles chuckled nervously, his heart pitter-pattering in his chest.

"_Would you feel better if I came over and we spoke in person? It might be able to talk to a real person than to a phone."_

Derek's logic was sound and Stiles found himself nodding in agreement for a second before realizing Derek couldn't see his nod.

"Right! Uh, yeah, that would probably be better. But…uh…if it's an inconvenience then there's no need to come over, I'd totally understand if…"

"_Stiles, I offered, I'm fine with coming over. Give me thirty minutes and I'll be there."_

Stiles swallowed nervously and almost did the nodding thing again but caught himself.

"Right. I'll see you when you get here then." He choked out weakly.

"_See you in a bit."_

The phone felt heavy in his hand when Stiles pulled it away from his ear. This was actually happening. He'd been psyching himself up for days for this but when faced with the real possibility of it he kind of felt like he was breathing without air. It was disconcerting.

The next thirty minutes were spent pacing back and forth in front of the front door biting his nails nervously. The sound of the Camaro pulling into his drive had his heart racketing around in his ribcage. By the time Derek knocked on the door Stiles had worked himself up into a frenzy. Before he opened the door he took a couple deep breaths, trying to calm himself but even when he turned the handle he felt no calmer than five seconds ago.

Derek stood there in his doorway looking like a god in his leather jacket, typical grey Henley, and some tight black jeans. Oh yeah, he looked good.

Stiles shook himself to clear the unwanted (totally wanted) lewd thoughts from his head before they started (oh, they've already started alright).

"Hi Derek. Thanks for getting here so fast." Stiles said quickly while moving aside to let him in with a sweep of an inviting hand.

The scent that wafted through the air as Derek passed felt like it could intoxicate Stiles if he weren't careful and he quickly turned away and shut the door before he forgot while he floated after Derek. When he got into the living room Derek was already seated on the couch, one leg crossed over the other.

"Well, make yourself comfortable then." Stiles laughed. "You want something to eat or drink? I have water and I think I can manage to scrounge up a sandwich or something."

Derek just shook his head and patted the couch next to him. "I'm good. I'm here to listen to you, not steal your food."

Stiles smiled a small smile and moved to take the seat beside Derek barely half a cushion away.

"So…where to start?" he said quietly, sitting back against the couch and twiddling his thumbs once again. That seemed to be a habit in Derek's presence.

"How about you start from the beginning?"

**A/N: Finally some progress! Derek's being awfully nice; then again, the Hale family is still alive so there isn't as much bitterness. I have a bad habit of torturing poor Stiles with hardships so I guess it's ok to give him a nicer Derek every now and again. **

**I have gotten so many favorites and follows on this story and the reviews are so incredibly wonderful! I know I say this a lot but I am so very thankful that yalls enjoy reading what I write. I honestly probably wouldn't even be writing anything without yalls support. Thank you for the feedback, I take every suggestion into consideration and sometimes an idea thrown out will influence the direction I take in the story! So, thank you so much for your thoughts yalls! ~hearts~**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I almost forgot the author's notes! Well, that wouldn't be too much skin off yall's backs but I prefer to have them. I kept forgetting them in the beginning! Oh well, easy to remedy. This chapter has been long awaited! I hope you all enjoy what I've written! Sorry if it's not what yalls thought but I have no regrets!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Wolf**

**ENJOY!**

"Beginning. Oh goodness. Where is the beginning?" Stiles chuckled nervously.

"The beginning is wherever you want to start. You don't have to tell me everything at once if you don't want to."

Stiles nodded. "That sounds reasonable. Well, uh, I guess I'll start when I was eight," Stiles cleared his throat, his voice strained, "when my mom died."

Derek tensed beside him for a moment, the intense feeling of sorrow and anger and guilt radiated from the boy so severely that it felt like a physical blow. Seeing the panic in Stiles' eyes he forced himself to relax and nod for Stiles to continue. Stiles drew in a few steadying breaths before he continued.

"She was…sick. Really sick. I knew it for a while before she was hospitalized but I didn't really understand the true depth of her sickness until I saw her…in the hospital. It was like she'd gone crazy but then they gave her something and she seemed to return almost to normal. But she was so weak. She…" Stiles paused, taking deep breaths that Derek knew was a habit the boy had when he got stressed. "Well…she didn't make it."

Derek didn't say anything in the pause as Stiles tried to collect himself. He didn't try and touch him either since that probably wouldn't be comforting coming from him. After a bit of silence Stiles continued.

"I started getting panic attacks after that. I still get them sometimes, more often in the last few months than I have in years. It's like I'm drowning, like there's air but I can't grasp it, can't suck it into my lungs. I can't think, there's only fear and pain and it's nearly blinding."

Stiles began shaking and this time Derek couldn't help but reach out, his instincts crying out to comfort the boy, try and take the pain he knew was there even if it wasn't a physical thing. Derek's touch seemed to have an immediate effect, the tense muscles in Stiles' arm slowly relaxing under his warm hand.

"I almost killed my father."

The sentence hit Derek like a brick. This was not what he'd expected to hear from Stiles. He stared at Stiles hard, reading the powerful guilt and sorrow in both his scent and his posture as Stiles hunched into himself, wrapping his arms around him as if he could keep himself together that way. When Stiles didn't elaborate Derek tightened his grip slightly on his arm.

"Stiles, I don't understand."

Stiles shook his head violently, running his hand punishingly through his short hair.

"I was out in the woods being a moron in the middle of the night and accidentally fell in a hole. I freaked out and called my dad. He came and got me but on the way back he had a heart attack." Stiles was barely whispering through the last words, his voice strained and scent so sour with sorrow that Derek felt like he was choking on it. "He'd freaked out when I wasn't in my room when he got home and then freaked out even more when I called to tell him I was stuck and scared. He'd thought I'd been kidnapped and then when we were driving home it just all…hit. He had a heart attack and the car crashed and now he's been in a medicated coma for the last five months."

Stiles sobbed, breaking through his last few sentences. Derek didn't think twice when he grabbed Stiles hard and pulled him into his lap, cradling his head and his back as the boy sobbed into his shoulder. The shuddering of Stiles' body and the salty scent of tears made Derek want to cry for him but he needed to be strong for Stiles.

"It's all my fault!" Stiles cried loudly, brokenly, into his shirt.

Derek growled deep in his chest and soothed his hand down Stiles' back over and over, gently rocking him.

Stiles sobbed for long minutes, crying out over and over that it was his fault that his father was in a coma that his father may never wake up and that Stiles would be the one that killed him. Derek just continued to gently rock him, making small shushing noises into his hair. The boy's tears were wet and hot through his shirt but he didn't care. Holding Stiles was the only thing he could do, the only thing he wanted to do. The boy didn't deserve this guilt and sorrow; he didn't deserve to be thinking like this. But Derek understood the extent of self-blame. He still did the same thing for something that happened nine years ago. He'd been fifteen at the time, even younger than Stiles.

After twenty long minutes Stiles had calmed to simply breathing a little brokenly against his shoulder, hands clutching his shirt tightly and body pressed in close to Derek's. It was incredibly comfortable for Derek and he hoped it was comfortable for Stiles as well. Only a couple minutes after he thought that, though, Stiles shifted backwards and Derek let him.

"I'm sorry. I just made a huge ass out of myself and snotted all over your shirt. Ugh. I must look hideous." Stiles attempted at a chuckle that was quickly lost in a half sob.

Derek shook his head and reached up to wipe the last of Stiles' tears from his red cheeks.

"You look fine." Derek said gruffly, his voice a little deeper than usual.

Stiles rolled his eyes and started to climb off Derek's lap. Derek held onto his waist to keep him sitting there, looking sternly into his eyes.

"Stiles, you are not to blame. Your father's heart attack could not have been predicted or prevented. He was doing what any father would, worrying about his son. You had no control over that."

Stiles opened his mouth, brow furrowed but Derek just put a hand to his mouth and shook his head.

"I understand what you mean, I understand why you blame yourself but I'm telling you now your guilt is misplaced."

Stiles still looked as if he wanted to contradict Derek so he didn't move his hand.

"Is that why you've been working so much? To pay for your father's medical bills?"

Once again Stiles' scent soured to a deep sorrow as he hesitantly nodded against Derek's hand.

"While I agree that hospitals and medicines are both pretty expensive things, you shouldn't have to be paying for this right now. There are plans that are given to a patient's family specifically _for_ the purpose of paying after release. What plan are you on that makes it so that you have to pay now?"

Stiles reaches up and gently tugs Derek's hand away, holding on to it even after it's settled into his lap.

"I'm not on any plan. The doctors said that because of the severity of my dad's heart attack and then the car crash he'd been put under a different program in the hospital. They needed payments to pay for his treatments or he'd have to be transferred to a hospital an hour away."

Derek felt anger welling up inside of him as Stiles continued to explain just how _much_ he's been having to pay per month to keep getting medicine and treatments for his father.

"Stiles my family owns many hospitals all over the country and this has never happened before. Never. Stiles, they're scamming you. $3,000 per day* is an insane amount, even without insurance, which, if you're father really _is_ the Sheriff, you should both have, it should only cost a couple hundred dollars a month while the patient is in the hospital if that's the route they take."

Stiles stared at him with wide, scared eyes.

"What? But…these are the people I've known practically my whole life. My best friend's mom works there. She'd definitely know if they were scamming me."

"Does she know how much you've been paying? Have you told her?"

Stiles opens his mouth but pauses, thinking, before shutting it again and shaking his head.

"That's why she doesn't know. Scammers don't advertise their scams so she probably has no idea."

Derek shifts Stiles off of his lap and beside him so that they had just a bit of distance so there was absolutely no influence from him when he asked Stiles his question.

"Look, I know you barely know me or my family but… would you think about moving your father to one of our hospitals? My uncle runs the closest hospital and would gladly take your father in if I ask. You won't even be charged for any of his treatment."

Derek could hear the beating of Stiles' heart pick up as he stared up at him, eyes wide and filled with hope and what looked like fear.

"I…I couldn't… I just…" Stiles stopped and closed his eyes, taking more deep breaths and slowly his heartbeat slowed to a more normal rate although still slightly elevated. "I think that first we should have someone assess the actual damage of my father. If what you said is true then I don't even know if they're really helping him. I need to… know…if he even has a chance at…surviving."

Stiles' words were choppy, broken by the emotion in his voice, at the panic Derek could sense that was threatening to break through. Quickly Derek set his hand on top of Stiles' that was still clutching his other hand and leaned in a little closer.

"Stiles, calm down. It'll be alright. I'll call my sister and uncle in the morning so we can all go down to the hospital and check on your father together. My sister is one of the best lawyers around and my uncle knows more about the medical field than any doctor in Beacon Hills. You and you're father will be taken care of, I promise."

Derek watched the insecurity and dozens of emotions flash through Stiles' face before finally it settled into hope and Derek could feel him relax. The scent of exhaustion became the strongest scent now that the cloying guilt and sorrow had been momentarily soothed.

"You should sleep. Tomorrow's probably going to be tough."

Stiles nodded and leaned his head against Derek's shoulder, heaving out a long sigh before inhaling on a big yawn. Derek gripped him and tugged him until he was standing, although it was more like leaning heavily on Derek than on his own legs.

"Will you…stay? I mean…it'll be easier for you instead of having to drive all the way back to your place and the hospital is only like ten miles away and…"

"I'll stay Stiles." Derek interrupted him and smiled at the way Stiles sagged against him in relief.

Derek walked Stiles up the stairs and followed the scent of Stiles until he reached a closed door that seemed to radiate his scent. Opening it he stopped short, shocked at how incredibly empty the room was. There were a few stacks of clothes against the wall next to the bed but other than those two things and a charger plugged into the wall there was nothing. Even the bed was barren except for a pile of clothes, a duffle bag and a single blanket.

"Is this your room?"

Stiles lifted his head and looked around. "Yup."

"There's nothing in here."

"Sold it all."

"Jeezus." Derek muttered, walking Stiles to his bed.

Once Stiles was settled he pulled the blanket over him and headed back towards the door.

"I'm going to sleep on the couch. I'll see you in the morning."

"'Kay. G'night." Stiles mumbled before he fell quickly to sleep even before Derek could close the door.

***I did some research on what it _actually_ costs for a person to be on life support and it turns out to be approx. $5,000 a day! Ridiculous! So I edited it to $3,000 per week instead of $2,300 a month (sooo off!) so that there's a realistic chance for Stiles to be able to pay the bills. I hope this is alright! **

**A/N: Well! This chapter was pretty fun to write. Finally some decent progress! Does it seem too fast now? I know before it was ridiculously slow, so is the change of pace too much or is it just right? Let me know since I take every idea and suggestion into account!**

**Thank you all so much for your support so far, I can't do this without yalls. ~hearts~**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIIIIIIGHT! I finally got this chapter done! It's been eluding me for **_**days**_**! I'm so very happy with where this story is going and how easily it's been flowing so far. It used to take weeks to get a chapter written. I hope yalls enjoy this one!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Wolf.**

**ENJOY!**

The house was quiet when Derek woke up around seven that morning. Laying there he listened for Stiles upstairs but there was nothing. No heartbeat, no breath, nothing.

Worried, Derek vaulted off the couch and up the stairs in three supernatural strides, jerking open Stiles' door to find the bed made and no Stiles in it. His heart rate racketed through the roof as he leaped down the stairs and to his phone where he'd left it on the floor next to the couch. The blue blinking light at the top indicated an unread message.

Quickly he lit up the screen and saw a text message from Stiles sent around 2am. It read: _I frgot i had wrk ths mrning, srry bout tht. Ill ask fr the rest of tday off frm my othr jbs. Ttyl. _The breath wooshed out of Derek in a gush of relief that something hadn't happened to Stiles. Well, he might as well get in contact with Laura and Peter. Derek had no doubt that if he explained who Stiles was and what he meant to him and the situation he was in they'd help in a heartbeat.

He contacted his uncle first since he was the farthest away, at least two hours. Derek didn't even need to explain the full situation. As soon as Derek told him he needed Peter's help Peter was already agreeing since Derek _never_ asks for help. Laura agreed just as readily and promised to be at the appointed address in an hour tops.

Stiles still wasn't home by the time Laura rolled around an hour later and still not an hour after that when Peter arrived at nine. Derek sent off a quick text saying they were at Stiles' house and ready to go whenever he was ready. It took twenty minutes to get a reply.

_Oh! Srry! Im jst leaving the dinr. I had to chk in wit my 3 othr jbs to let thm kno id b takin the rest of the day off._

Derek relayed the message and waited for Stiles to get back.

Stiles was anxious…like…._really_ anxious. Throughout his entire shift at the gas station this morning that lasted from two to six and then during the two hours he's been jittery and on edge about the upcoming events. He didn't know if he could trust these new people even if they were Derek's family. When he really thinks about it he's only known Derek for a little over two months since he was hired back in late June. Now he was about to trust him and his family with his _dad's_ life. Maybe if it was his own life he'd be less apprehensive but this was his dad, the only one he had left in the whole wide world.

It terrified him.

These jobs though were becoming too much for him. He was thin and hungry and getting sick more and more often. One too many times he'd fainted on the job and was fired from the car garage across town. If Derek could fix this then he was willing to give this a chance.

On the way home after working an hour at the diner in exchange for the night off and checking in with his other jobs at the superstore where he worked as a cashier, the bookstore where he restocked, and the Random restaurant chain he worked as a waiter and host to make sure he could take the day off, he finally had time to think about how all of this was going to go down.

Derek's uncle would check out his father's condition while his sister would talk with the hospital staff that was treating his father, staff who _wasn't_ treating his father to get the rundown of how things were _supposed_ to work, and to the manager of the hospital, or whatever they were called. Director? Super Intendant? Stiles shook his head and focused on the road in front of him. He was almost home.

There were three cars parked in front of his house, two he recognized and one he didn't so he was guessing that was Derek's uncle's. He parked beside Laura's car in the driveway and quickly gathered his uniforms from the front seat and took several deep, calming breaths before getting out of the Jeep and locking it, briskly walking towards his front door.

The door opened before he could reach for the knob and he startled back when a blonde man with devilishly good looks (in an older, more mature kind of way) stood in his doorway smiling at him.

"Stiles! Nice to see you!" the man tugged Stiles in and tucked him under his arm as he slammed the door closed.

Stiles walked rigidly next to the man, confused and more than a little nervous at the sudden and weird treatment. Derek was standing just inside the living room with a frown on his face even though his eyes danced with amusement. Laura stood next to him blatantly entertained by this strange man's behavior.

"Peter, let the poor boy go. You're going to traumatize him." Laura commanded even though she was still smiling widely and her tone was just shy of laughing.

Stiles felt the man's chest vibrate with a laugh against his shoulder.

"Oh please, I'm just saying hello."

"Peter." Derek growled and finally Peter's arm let up off Stiles' shoulder and he darted away to stand a bit behind Derek and Laura to stare at the man.

Peter's blue eyes sparkled mischievously at him and Stiles thought that if he wasn't giving off such creepy vibes they would probably really get along.

"So, Stiles, Derek tells me you have a problem I can help fix. Mind telling me what it's about?"

Stiles looks up at Derek, startled. "You didn't tell them?"

"It wasn't for me to tell."

Stiles nods and feels a rush of warmth for the man.

"Oh. Thank you."

Derek just nods and moves towards the couch and everyone else does the same until they're all sitting, Stiles next to Derek and Laura and Peter forced into the other seat with a pout.

"Well, um, my dad and I got into a car crash about five months ago and when I told Derek how much I was paying for my dad's life support he told me I was being scammed. He thought you two would be able to help."

Peter nods, face finally serious. "That does sound a problem. How much are you paying?"

"Three thousand a week."

Peter just nods and narrows his eyes a bit, thinking. Stiles looks over at Laura to see that she's also making a similar face.

"Ok, well, if you're already paying it then there's something obviously wrong here but three thousand isn't that bad of a price per week. Life support can cost a lot more than that depending on the severity of the patient, the life insurance you have, and the hospital you go to."

Stiles' face paled.

"You mean I'm going to have to pay more?" _I'll die,_ he thinks.

"How about we go check on your father's condition before we make any more assumptions."

Stiles nods numbly, trying to calculate his hours and pay if he were to get another job. He was already only sleeping four hours a night but if he were to cut that in half he might be able to take on another job. Hopefully one that pays more.

"Stiles. You going to be ok? If you don't want to do this you can just say so." Derek says quietly and Stiles jumps, looking up at him and shaking his head.

"Please help me." He pleads, his voice coming out more desperate than he intended.

Derek's face scrunches up in what looks like pain for a second before smoothing back out and nodding. "I swear I will do everything I can."

Stiles takes a deep breath and nods, pulling himself together. "Right. That's all I can ask for. Thank you so much." He says to everyone.

Peter gives him what looks like a genuine smile and Laura rubs his back before standing up.

They all take their own cars except for Stiles who rides with Derek to save on gas. With each minute that passes Stiles' palms get sweatier and sweatier. The closer they get to the hospital the more nervous he gets until Derek reaches over and set a warm hand on his knee, drawing his attention. Stiles looks up at Derek with wide, scared eyes and sees the reassurance and comfort in his gaze and finally he feels his stomach start to unclench. Everything fades away as he focuses on Derek's hand. When they finally arrive at their destination Stiles feels almost calm.

When Derek takes away his hand to climb out of the vehicle the world seems to zoom back into high definition, his feelings sparking that nervous fire once again until Derek opens his door and holds out his hand. Stiles feels a bit ridiculous at being treated like a girl but for some reason there's an intense sense of relief at taking Derek's hand and being pulled from the car. Even when he's cleared the car and the door is slammed behind him Derek doesn't let go of his hand and Stiles feels a bit bad for having clammy hands.

"It'll be ok. Things'll be straightened out."

"I hope so." Stiles says as they join Peter and Laura at the hospital entrance.

The first thing Stiles is hit with is the smell of disinfectants and medicine which never fails to bring back memories of his mother from when she was the one lying in a hospital bed. Now that his father is there and it's because of him it's like a double whammy, an insult to injury. It's terrifying.

Derek squeezes his hand again to keep him steady as he starts breathing a little harder. His father's room is right there but he feels frozen on the spot. Peter and Laura were nowhere to be found and Stiles wondered how long he'd been standing there silently freaking out. It was embarrassing and depressing at the same time.

"Sorry, let's go in." Stiles mumbles and reaches out a hesitant hand for the doorknob.

Derek doesn't rush him and gives Stiles the time he needs to psych himself up for this and he's so incredibly grateful he could cry.

The scene is the just the same as always: his father is lying on the small, white hospital bed, clothed in a paper dress, and hooked up to a dozen different machines through a baker's dozen of tubes. He's so thin, so fragile that it tears at Stiles' heart every single time he sees him. And his eyes are still closed. There's always a small bit of hope that maybe, just _maybe_, the next time he came in his dad's eyes would be open and he'd be smiling and saying he'd had a hell of a dream. But he wasn't.

Stiles bit back on the rising burn of tears and gently pulled Derek forward, his grip on his hand deathly tight. The methodic beeping of his father's heartbeat was at least a small reassurance that he wasn't as dead as he looked covered in bandages and tape where needles were held under his skin.

Carefully Stiles extended his hand and laid his shaking fingers against his father's cold hand and gently gripped. There was no fighting back the tears when his father's fingers didn't clutch back and they dripped down his face, soaking his shirt into a darker blue.

"Hey dad. I, uh, I brought a friend with me this time. He said they're going to try and help us, help get you well again. You haven't met him but I bet you'd like him. Or maybe you wouldn't since he looks like the typical hooligans you used to arrest but I swear he's a great guy."

Derek squeezes his hand and Stiles looks up at him with a small, sad smile.

Stiles sits in the chair by his father's bedside and Derek takes the seat next to him so they can still hold hands while Stiles talks to his father, telling him about the situation they were in, about how Derek's family offered to help, and how much he missed him and how very, very sorry he was that all of this happened. Derek moved to comfort Stiles when the door opened and Laura came striding in looking pissed to hell, followed by an equally pissed Peter and three terrified hospital employees. Two of which Stiles recognized.

Peter closed the door behind all of them once they'd shuffled in and Stiles stood, confused and worried by this tense atmosphere.

"What's going on?" Stiles asked, voice pitched high and worried.

"These three fucktards have been illegally manipulating funds and stealing from you and your father." Laura hissed, glaring at the three of them like she wanted to tear into them.

Stiles stood there frozen staring at Laura. "What about my father? Is he at least getting better?"

Peter steps forward with a chart, presumably his father's. "From what's written here it says he's receiving several different drugs but I pulled the latest blood test that runs automatically through three different machines your father is hooked up to but none of these drugs are in his system except for a single strong sedative which is most likely the reason why your father hasn't woken up yet. I need to check underneath the bandages." He says in a rush and quickly steps for Stiles' father.

Panic floods Stiles and he steps in front of Peter, protecting his father.

"No, please, the results could be wrong, he could still be healing." Stiles gasps.

Peter stops and gives Stiles a long look before his face smooths out a bit, gently patting Stiles on the shoulder.

"Stiles, I am a professional in this field, I have treated more people than possibly anyone in this hospital and handle each patient with the utmost care. Right now I need to make sure that your father actually received the surgery needed after the crash and that if we _do_ take him off of life support that he'll be able to make a full recovery. I need to find out for myself the condition he's in before I can help him."

Stiles glances over at his father before finally nodding at Peter and stepping aside, resting against Derek's side. Derek's arm goes around his shoulder and pulls him in closer and Stiles lets out a breath of nervous relief.

Peter pulls the covers back and begins checking his father over, checking each bandage and probing vital spots, somehow gather data Stiles has no idea about. Finally he pulls the covers back over his father, his face tight.

"At least they did _something_ right. Your father suffered internal injuries as well as some brain damage from both the accident and the heart attack. If he were awake right now he'd be in so much pain his body would probably just give out. However, he absolutely cannot stay here. He needs immediate medical care and frankly I do not trust this hospital to give him this care. I'll call for one of my ambulances and they should be here within the next hour or two."

Stiles' breathing goes shallow as he stares at his father.

"That's bad isn't it? My father's in really bad condition. I thought he was getting better. The monitor never wavered; his heartbeat always stayed the same. How could he not be getting better? Doesn't the body heal itself?"

"You were in that crash too, weren't you?" Peter asks instead of answering any of his questions and honestly Stiles is kind of grateful, he doesn't know if he'd be able to handle the answers.

"Yeah. I'm already healed though, I'm completely fine."

"Are you? Where were you hurt?"

Stiles pulls up his shirt to reveal a long, ugly scar down his side and curves in towards his stomach. The door had crumpled in and the glass had shattered into jagged pieces when they'd hit the trees and flipped several times.

"I also broke my right leg and arm, broke two ribs, fractured two other ribs, broke several fingers and toes, and split my head open pretty good right below my hairline behind my ear and on my neck. The other injuries were minor like needing a couple stitches on my back where glass had gotten me."

"Did they do surgery on your side?"

Stiles shook his head. "It just needed to be closed up."

"Do you still feel pain there or anywhere else?"

Stiles just shrugged. "Of course I do. It's not exactly a quick recovery thing. It was an almost fatal crash."

Peter nodded and turned to Laura.

"I'll leave you to take care of these three fuckers. I'll be outside making a few calls. Derek, take care of Stiles."

"No shit." Derek growled and pulled Stiles even tighter into his side.

Stiles clung to Derek, his arms wrapping around his waist and holding on tight. This was all so fucked up. The doctors he'd trusted since he was three had just scammed him out of thousands of dollars and hadn't even helped his father. If anything they probably made it worse. Who knew how bad the damage was now since it hadn't been treated when it needed to be.

"Laura." Stiles sniffed and Laura turned to him from where she'd been writing something in her phone. "How did they do this? How weren't they caught before this?"

"These three worked together. If you know the system well enough then it'll only take a couple of people to pull something like this off multiple times. This one is in records, this one's the receptionist, and this one is your doctor, the one behind the master plan. All you'd need is false information and legit verification to get everything you need. Depending on if they've done this before they could be facing a _very_ long prison sentence. If someone has _died_ because of something like this they could be getting _life_ in prison."

The look of malicious glee in Laura's eye at the mention of getting life in prison made a fierce sense of pride and hope well up in Stiles but also revenge. He wanted these fuckers to pay for what they've done. It was an exhilarating feeling.

"I hope they rot in Hell." Stiles seethed and pressed his cheek against Derek's shoulder.

Derek growled and gripped him tighter and Stiles felt so inexplicably safe.

********I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT GOES ON IN A HOSPITAL SO ALL OF THIS IS BULL!*******

**A/N: Merry Christmas everyone. I hope alls of yalls have a wonderful holiday season. I won't be able to post anything for the next week because my family and I are going camping where this is no internet. Yay! So exciiiiiteeeed! I'll probably write a bunch of chapters while I'm out there in the wilderness so I'll definitely have something for yalls come the New Year.**

**I hope the development is satisfactory! I'm so glad I've been getting such great responses from alls of yalls, it keeps me going, so, thank you! I'll see you all in the next year! Toodles! ~hearts~**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Holy HELL this was difficult to get out! I got the first couple of pages done on my vacation but had absolutely no time to finish it! I wanted to get this out by New Year's so that yall'd have something to read… like as a gift… but it just didn't happen! So, sorry it was a little late but Hey! I never promised a specific date and I **_**shall**_** never promise a specific date cuz that makes me **_**not**_** want to write. So meh.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Wolf.**

**ENJOY!**

The next few days were a blur for Stiles. First there was moving his father to Peter's hospital over an hour away, then the lawsuit being filed against the three hospital staffs, and finally CPS being contacted since his father was incapable of providing for Stiles. Laura, being the awesome lawyer she is, managed to convince them that the Hale family (meaning Derek) would be able to take him in while they treated his father.

Stiles was going to meet Derek's family.

"I'm sure your parents have better things to do than meet your new 'roommate'. I mean, I don't even have to stay at your place, I'm sure I'm a total nuisance when I'm there to clean, you shouldn't have to deal with me twenty-four seven!" Stiles said on the sixth day after everything had gone down at the hospital.

They were on their way to the Hale house right on the edge of Beacon Hills in the Preserve and Stiles was so nervous he'd been unable to eat breakfast that morning and had spent the first ten minutes of the ride in silence, fidgeting restlessly with anything within reach. Derek had been particularly patient with him, listening to his senseless rambling when he'd finally been able to open his mouth and didn't berate him for his obnoxious twitching.

"I'm sure. They've been dying to meet you since they found out about you from Laura."

"That sounds even more terrifying. They're going to hate me! How do you not hate me? I would hate me. I'm totally obnoxious and talk a lot and fidget and I have ADHD and I eat a lot…"

"Stiles." Derek interrupted. "You'll be fine. They're going to love you." Derek didn't mention the bit about his own tolerance towards Stiles.

Stiles finally just gave up and slumped into the cushion, accepting that his nervousness wouldn't go away until he met Derek's family. He'd never met the family of someone he likes. He didn't meet Lydia's mom until she started substituting at his school and even then he still knows next to nothing about her other family members.

Huh. He hasn't thought about Lydia since the crash. In fact, he hadn't started thinking about anything but his work until he'd met Derek. Nothing had really mattered, just earning the money. Now that he didn't have to _and_ he was getting all of his money back he had no idea what to do.

"I had to quit all of my jobs, including the housekeeping one, and now am getting all the money I'd been giving to the hospital back but I don't think I'll be able to pay for the treatment from your uncle's hospital. Do you think I might be able to take you up on your offer still?" Derek gave him a confused side look before watching the road again. "I mean your offer to work for you exclusively instead of working all those other jobs."

"Oh. I forgot about that."

"Right, right. It's totally ok, I completely understand if you don't want me to work for you now that you know about…well, everything. I'm probably not the best person to employ and it would be a lot of money and…"

"Stiles, I didn't say I wouldn't employ you, I simply forgot about the offer in all the chaos. I'd gladly employ you but I don't think I'll need to. I'm going to be paying your father's medical bills since I am now your legal guardian for the moment."

"Well, technically your mom and sister are."

"As if they'd take you from me." Derek scoffed.

"What do you mean?" Stiles asked, confused.

Derek's face pulled into a frown and his mouth opened for a second before closing it again. "Uh, nothing. I didn't mean anything. Just…thinking out loud."

Stiles gives a short, quiet laugh. "Well, that's a new one."

Derek just nodded and seemed to laser focus on the road once more. Stiles let it go, the uncomfortable look on Derek's face reminding him of his own discomfort. They were almost to the Hale house and he still wasn't sure how to proceed. He'd never been a greeter, more of a jump right into lengthy, loud conversations. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to do that with Derek's family. Derek never really spoke about them; he was a much more guarded person than Stiles.

When the house came into sight Stiles' heart kicked into high gear, his eyes darting around the property to get an idea of what to expect. The house was a huge white, two story mansion with many windows and a red door. The color threw him off for a second, not expecting the intense and different color but found himself oddly pleased by it.

Derek parked and turned off the car, turning to Stiles who stared back at him with wide eyes.

"You don't have to be nervous. Just be yourself."

"Yeah, I don't know if that's good advice when it comes to me. I am _way_ too obnoxious and loud and rude with no brain to mouth filter to speak of which can often offend people…" Stiles took several deep breaths. "Well, we're here now, might as well just…do it."

Derek laid a gentle, warm hand on Stiles' forearm, stilling his movement for a brief moment. "Stiles, just be yourself. Your hyperactive, expressive self. You'll be fine. Promise. Now come on, before you make _me_ nervous." Derek grumbled and pulled open his door.

Stiles sat for a second longer, calming himself and replaying Derek's words in his head, trying to psych himself up for this and finally pulled his door open.

The day was cold, September air blowing right through is thin clothes and raising his skin in prickles of cold. Derek waited for him in front of the car and they walked towards the porch together. The porch swing waved gently in the breeze and Stiles stared at it, looking at its well-loved cushion and took another deep breath before Derek knocked on the wood of the door.

Immediately the door was jerked wide open and sweet, warm air enveloped the both of them like a gentle, welcoming hug from the house. Standing in the doorway were several young children, all grinning up at the two of them with loving and curious smiles before one of the littler ones squealed and launched herself at Derek. Derek stooped down and caught her in his arms, scooping her up and into a tight hug, his face bright with smiles and love.

"Anna! You've grown!" Derek laughed, his deep voice sweeping over Stiles, relaxing him even though he had yet to step over the threshold.

"Uncle Derek! Uncle Derek! I lost a tooth!"

"I've grown two inches and a half of inches!"

"I got new shoes."

The children were all screeching at once and Stiles smiled, laughing at the completely unexpected onslaught of cuteness. By the time they made it through the doorway Derek had three children climbing on him and Stiles was carrying the sweet little girl with the new shoes in his arms, shutting the door with his hip.

Derek led them into the house slowly, swinging the children to and fro from his arms with two more on his legs now. How he did that, Stiles had no clue. When they reached the living room a tall, blonde woman greeted Derek first, wrapping him in a tight hug before placing a kiss on his cheek and removing one of the munchkins. The two on his feet dashed off as soon as they realized Derek probably wasn't going to move again which left them both carrying one child. When Derek turned to look at him Stiles' breath left in a whoosh at the incredible power of Derek's smile. Stiles almost forgot to smile back but thankfully his face quickly caught up.

"Stiles, this is my family. The one you're holding is Isabelle, the two who ran off were Daniel and Tera. My uncle's wife, Dina, just took Joel, and this one," he says, looking at the little girl bouncing in his arms, "is Anna. She's the oldest out of all the children under ten."

"Seven! I just turned seven." She said matter-of-fact-ly, nodding her head sagely.

"Oh yes, I can definitely tell. You look grown up already." Stiles said back just as seriously.

Anna nodded twice before breaking out into a big smile and turning back to Derek. "Uncle Derek! Grandma said you had big news!"

Derek looked surprised for all of a second before he smiled softly. "I don't think I'd call it _big_ news but it's definitely news. Do you know where Grandma is?"

"She's with Grandpa in the kitchen."

"Thanks sweet pea. How about you go help your mommy set the table for lunch?"

"Yes sir!"

Derek let her go and she squealed as she ran off, calling for her mother as she went. Isabelle was resting her head on Stiles' shoulder. She was the mellowest of all the children and looked on the verge of falling asleep. Stiles was gently swaying from side to side, lulling the young toddler slowly to sleep.

"You can put her down if you want. It's probably her nap time."

Stiles shook his head. "Nah I'm good. She's adorable and warm."

Derek gave him a small half-smirk and nodded. "Alright. My mom and dad are in the kitchen. Probably making lunch for everyone. Peter and Laura will be here shortly as well as my other sister Cora and brother Nicholas."

"Ok." Stiles said, his nerves picking up again.

Derek gently put a hand on his free arm and smiled calmly. "It's ok. If the little ones love you then the rest of my family will undoubtedly love you. Come on."

Stiles nodded quickly and swallowed, rubbing Isabelle on the back to soothe both her and his nerves and followed Derek through the living room and around a corner to the kitchen. Around the corner was a bright, beautiful kitchen filled with sunlight and scents of delicious food. A tall woman who looked so much like Derek that it startled Stiles was currently putting together sandwiches at the center island while a tall man washed dishes at the sink behind her. The woman looked up when the two of them walked in and gave each of them a dazzling smile.

"Derek! It's so wonderful to see you! It's so rare to see you accompanied by someone. Who have you brought with you?" she asked politely, smiling sweetly at Stiles.

"As if you have to ask. This is Stiles. I'm going to be looking after him until his father is well again."

"If he gets well again." Stiles said quietly with a small smile towards Mrs. Hale. "It's wonderful to meet you ma'am. I'm Stiles Stilinski. Thank you for having me over."

Mrs. Hale smiled and waved away his politeness with a huff. "Oh please, call me Talia. Everyone here simply calls me Mom but until you get comfortable you can just call me Talia. I feel so old if you call me ma'am or Mrs. Hale."

Derek just rolled his eyes and walked around the island to give his mom a peck on the cheek, patting his dad on the back on his way to grab a handful of pretzels from the open bag on the counter. Mr. Hale turned with a smile, dishtowel in hand, to look at Stiles.

"You can call me whatever you'd like Stiles. My name's David, nice to meet you Stiles."

Stiles rocked Isabelle back and forth to keep from spastically fidgeting under the gaze of both intimidating Hale parents. Though, he didn't actually feel uncomfortable, just…overwhelmed.

"It's nice to meet you too…David. Talia." Stiles said politely. "Your house is so incredibly lovely and your family is so," Stiles bounced Isabelle, now asleep in his arms, "wonderful. I feel very welcomed." He laughed lightly.

Talia gave him a gentle look. "Thank you Stiles. I'm glad. Though, Isabelle doesn't usually fall asleep in anybody else's arms but her mother's. You can put her down on the couch if you'd like."

Stiles shook his head, smoothing the back of Isabelle's pink sundress. "It's alright. She's adorable and her presence is actually soothing really." He explained with a sheepish grin. "I've always loved children. When I used to visit my best friend's mom at the hospital I'd always play with and watch the children there. They could always keep up with my restless energy."

"You'll love these kids then. They seem to never run out of energy." David laughed and Stiles smiled, finally relaxing fully.

Derek made a full circle of the kitchen and found himself back at Stiles' side, a gentle hand pressed to his shoulder blade as he turned to address his parent.

"I just wanted to introduce him and fill you both in on what's going to be happening over the next few months. I'm sure Laura and Peter have already told you most of the details but I wanted you to meet him."

"Good thing you did too. I'd have stormed your house if you hadn't introduced him!" Talia threatened, pointing a spoon she'd been using to toss a fruit salad. "Are you two going to stay for lunch? There's plenty of food. Tim and Amelia will be home in about twenty minutes if you'd like to meet them too."

Stiles looked over at Derek who looked back with question. Stiles just shrugged, not saying yes or no since it was Derek's family, but his stomach chose that moment to growl loudly, making all three Hales laugh.

"I guess that settles it! The two of you will stay for lunch and Stiles can meet the others." David stated.

"Sounds good to me. I don't have any plans except to unpack what little I brought with me."

Derek nodded in agreement and nudged Stiles forward towards the table where placemats were already set for fifteen.

"This table is huge." Stiles commented as he continued to rock Isabelle.

"One for every family member. My brother's wife is expecting another one so there's fifteen seats. That means you luckily have a seat." Derek explained.

"Jeez. How on earth do you have so many family members?" Stiles muttered and took a seat at the end of the table where Derek pulled out a seat for him.

"Well, I have three siblings, two older and one younger. Timothy is the eldest, married to Amelia who has Isabelle and Tera with one on the way. Then there's Laura who is the second eldest who is recently engaged. Cora is my younger sister who better not have a boyfriend."

"None of your business!" a female's voice called from another room.

"It's always my business." Derek said in his normal voice so that he wouldn't wake Isabelle which was responded to with a loud snort. "Anyway, my uncle, Peter, is married to Dina who has Joel and Daniel though they're thinking about having another one as well."

Stiles' eyebrows had been steadily inching up through the whole family detailing until they nearly reached his hairline.

"Wow. That's a _lot_ of people. I guess you'll be adding more chairs after Laura gets married, huh?" Stiles laughed softly. "I only have my dad and even then we almost never eat together. His hours at the station would always have him leaving before I wake up and not back until after I go to sleep so between my school and his work we never really saw each other."

A hand fell heavily onto his shoulder and he looked up into David's warm, green eyes. "Well, for now you can dine with us anytime." He glanced at Derek. "That is, whenever _Derek_ decides to drop by. We barely see that boy."

Stiles looks over to see Derek grimacing but there's a fondness in his glare at his father. It makes Stiles yearn for his own father but he keeps that to himself and instead nods.

"I'll do what I can." He promises.

"Good, good. I'll help Talia set the table and then we can start calling everyone in for lunch."

"Sounds good." Talia approved and the both of them went back to their food preparations.

Stiles turned to Derek who sat on his left and gave him a soft smile. "Your family is awesome. You're so lucky to have so many of them."

Derek's gaze softened. "Yeah, I am." He agreed quietly almost sadly.

They sat in silence, listening to Isabelle's calm breathing and the various noises from the kitchen. Stiles felt that if he were left like this long enough he'd most likely fall asleep as well but luckily it was only another ten minutes before food was placed on the table in huge piles, plates arranged on the mats along with heaps of napkins. There were all sorts of foods from a delicious smelling roast chicken to ham and turkey sandwiches. Bags of chips and trays of veggies and fruits were placed strategically between main dishes and Stiles felt his mouth begin to water as the smells of the foods overwhelmed his senses.

"This looks amazing." Stiles groaned.

"It'll taste even better, I swear." Talia laughed.

Isabelle stirred in his arms, rubbing at her eyes as she yawned widely against Stiles' shoulder.

"Hey girly, ready for lunch?" Stiles cooed, smoothing her hair away from her face.

She nodded and turned to look at the table full of food.

"Hungry." She mumbled, voice still quiet with sleep.

"Good. There's a lot of yummy foods to be eaten!"

Stiles turned Isabelle around so she sat on his lap facing the table. Derek looked at them fondly before standing.

"I'll go call the others for lunch. You can start eating, we'll be a minute." Derek said as he beckoned his mother and father towards the living room.

Stiles watched them go with uncertainty but then Isabelle wriggled on his lap and reached for the food only two feet from her.

"What would you like to eat sweetheart?"

"Ham. Pickle."

"Right away my lady." Stiles chuckled and reached forward to one of the plates of sandwiches that were luckily close enough to reach to grab. Unfortunately the pickles were on another plate halfway across the table. "How about you start eating your sandwich and I'll grab your pickle?" Stiles offered.

Isabelle nodded and quickly chomped into her sandwich. Stiles grabbed a roast beef sandwich for himself but simply set it on his plate, waiting for the others to get there before he dove into the food that was making his stomach rumble. Thankfully he only had to wait for a minute or so for children to come running into the room, hopping up on the chairs to reach the food and dig in before being followed by the adults.

Several people were new faces but one by one they introduced themselves before taking seats next to the children, Derek sitting back into the seat on his left. Talia sat at the head of the table with David at her right and Peter at her left and everything sat still for a second, food piled high on everyone's plates. Even Isabelle paused in her eating for a few seconds until Talia took a bite of her food and then everyone dug in. Stiles was more than a little curious at that but shrugged it off as one of those things different families did.

Derek paid more attention to Stiles than his family but Stiles was ok with that, thankful that he had something to talk about instead of eating in awkward silence with a bunch of strangers. Isabelle eventually got her pickle when Derek handed her one without being asked and Stiles raised an eyebrow.

"Does she always ask for pickles?" he laughed. "You seem to know exactly what she wants."

Derek froze for a split second before shrugging. "She's been staring at them this whole time. I figured that's what she'd want."

Stiles nodded and continued eating. He didn't realize that everything had paused at the table for those couple of seconds, only resuming after he took another bite.

Once the meal was over, the children ran off, Isabelle included, and the parents followed, leaving the four of them alone once more. Stiles stood as Talia and David began cleaning off the table and Derek followed.

"Would you like some help cleaning up?" Stiles offered.

"Oh no dear, thank you for the offer. We've got it. I'm sure Derek's dying to get out of here already and you have your things to unpack."

Stiles looked from Talia to Derek who nodded.

"That sounds good. Thanks for the food mom. I'll see you both later." Derek said, quickly kissing his mom on the cheek and hugging his dad.

"Come over soon. Thanks for coming!" Talia called as Derek began herding Stiles back towards the door.

"Thank you for having me! I look forward to next time! The food was delicious and it was fun meeting everyone!" he called back.

Once they were both back in the car they let out identical sighs of relief.

"You weren't as talkative today."

Stiles shrugged. "It was a different atmosphere than I'm used to. I talked to you a lot. And Isabelle."

"I don't think a three year old counts."

"They so do count! We had quite a conversation about turtles."

"That's the only animal she knows besides a wolf." Derek commented as he started up the car and began turning the car around.

"Exactly! And now she probably knows more about turtles than she'll ever need to know."

"_I_ know more about turtles than I'll ever need to know. How in the world do you know so much about them?"

"I get bored easily. Turtles are just one of the many animals I've researched in my boredom. I also know a lot about the platypus, squirrels, dolphins, orangutans, and rhinos. I'll need to do more research on wolves though if Isabelle and I will be having anymore in depth conversations."

Derek snorted. "I'm sure she could teach you a thing or two about wolves." He muttered.

Stiles gave him an odd look but shrugged. "You're family's pretty cool."

"Yeah. I think so too."

They sat in comfortable silence for a while as they both sifted through thoughts about today before Stiles broke it with a sigh.

"I've never had a large family like that. How come you don't visit them very often? You don't even really talk about them. They're so cool."

Derek was silent for a beat. "I don't have anyone to talk to about them. You're the first person besides my editor that has ever met them and that was only for a couple minutes before I shoved them out with my manuscript."

"Oh right. You've got that whole antisocial thing going on for you." Stiles chuckled, gesturing at Derek.

Derek just shook his head with a small smile on his lips. Stiles was satisfied with just looking at Derek for the rest of the ride to Derek's place before getting nervous again as he realized…he was going to be living alone with Derek for the next few months. Derek who he was incredibly attracted to. Derek who _might_ like him back.

His whole body flushed at the thought and he quickly jumped out of the car as soon as it rolled to a stop in front of Derek's house. This was either going to be an incredibly awkward stay or frustrating stay. He was totally looking forward to it as much as he was dreading it. What fun.

***I changed the typo 'step-sister Dina' to 'uncle's wife, Dina,' that a reader caught. Thanks!**

**A/N: So this chapter didn't go the way I wanted it to. There was supposed to be more family interaction and better dialogue and really touching moments that showed how incredibly AWESOME the Hale family is but I just couldn't get it out so I wrote it the best that I could at three in the morning. ~sigh~**

**Well, Happy New Year everyone! I hope alls of yalls had a great holiday season and welcomed 2015 like champs! Jeez I hate the holidays. Full of disappointments and relatives who shove Jesus in my face (no offense meant towards anyone). I'm going to go drown myself in Teen Wolf reruns and sugar. ~hearts~**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: This chapter was blessedly easy to write thank goodness! Things are a bit hectic but I like where it's going. Things happen, blah blah blah, you'll read it. **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Wolf (except for the actual DVDs because I finally bought them! YES!)**

**ENJOY!**

Derek was nervous. So nervous. Taking Stiles to his parent's house had been on a whim, and even though it had gone really, really well he was now going to take Stiles to _his_ house. To _stay_. Holy Hell, he was in _way_ over his head. Being close to Stiles was already difficult but trying to control his wolf was nearly impossible after he became aware of just how deep his feelings ran for the boy.

Stiles was bobbing his head and singing along with the song softly playing on the radio but out of the corner of his eye he saw the boy glance at him every so often. It was nerve wracking knowing he was watching him but also kind of nice knowing he had his attention. He just didn't know what to do with that attention. Should he bring the glances up? Maybe he should bring up the whole situation. He didn't want to upset Stiles though by mentioning his dad or his change in situation or mention the suspicion of feelings if there weren't any.

Derek sighed. He was getting ahead of himself. As soon as they got home he'd take a couple hours alone and figure out a plan for how things were to progress. He couldn't think when he was surrounded by Stiles' scent like this, could feel the heat emanating from the boy only a foot away from him. Definitely needed to come up with a plan, boundaries to give himself so he didn't accidentally push the boy into something he was _not_ ready for.

Sixteen. _Sixteen!_ Derek reminded himself and took a steadying breath. Sure age didn't matter to werewolves but Stiles wasn't a werewolf and Derek had to treat him differently than he would a werewolf. Stiles was…delicate. So very breakable. And Derek didn't want to become a Kate.

The thought was sharp, pulling him from his head and back into his body, glaring at the road once more and pressing the gas a little harder. He had to clear his head and the sooner they got home the sooner they could do that.

Stiles had stopped singing and was instead staring blatantly at him but Derek paid him no mind, biting his cheek and gripping the wheel harder to keep himself from looking over at the boy and losing himself again. The rest of the ride was a little tense, Stiles smelling of confusion and apprehension at the sudden shift in Derek's mood. There was a nervous undertone to his scent that was left over from his parent's house and even though he wanted to reassure Stiles that it wasn't his fault he just couldn't look at him at the moment.

When they pulled up to his house next to Stiles' Jeep he immediately turned off the car and jumped out growling, "Sort your stuff and leave me in peace for a few hours."

Stiles' heartbeat stuttered before picking up quicker than before. "Uh, ok. Sure."

Derek didn't wait around to hear anything else, unlocking his front door and storming inside, leaving the door open for him. Derek stormed to his room and shut and locked his door to ensure his privacy before taking a deep, angry breath. He stood by his door before beginning to pace, his mind going a mile a minute.

First he'd have to lay down rules for Stiles. First of all he'd need to start up school again so that would help Derek distance himself from Stiles a bit. Next he'd need a proper bedtime and after school schedule.

Derek grimaced when he realized that now that Stiles was going to be living there he couldn't simply go grab a bite to eat whenever he wanted since he'd have to be home for the boy. It also wasn't healthy for a growing boy to eat out all the time so he'd probably need to learn how to cook and clean up after himself properly. His family was most likely going to be coming over more often now as well.

Derek groaned and flopped down onto his bed, covering his face with his hands at the overwhelmed feeling rushing through him. If he was going to be taking care of this poor boy he'd have to completely shove aside all feelings he has for him and try to act more like a guardian than a friend or anything…else.

Quickly he jerked his phone out of his pocket and pulled up Laura's contact, texting her rapidly.

_This wasn't a good idea._

The reply was instantaneous.

_What are you talking about? This was a great idea! Now you two don't have to pine after each other from afar._

_That's exactly what I mean! I just… _can't_. He doesn't deserve someone like me. For one I'm a werewolf; two, I'm at least eight years older than he is, he's just a boy! I have to make sure that he's taken care of and with the feelings I have that wouldn't work. _

_Derek, don't do anything rash. The kid's obviously totally taken by you, you just have to open yourself up to him! Talk to him, get to know him, let him know _you_! The werewolf thing wouldn't even be a problem, you can just tell him. He's a smart boy. A _strong_, smart boy. _

_I just…can't Laura. It's not right. I can't put that on him. It's only for a couple months. I can hold out for that long. He needs to have his own life, his own romances. He'll forget about me eventually and lead a _normal_ life._

_Listen, if that's what you want to do I can't stop you. But let me tell you right now; you're making a huge mistake. If you let that boy go you'll regret it for the rest of your life._

_At least he'll be safe._

Derek tucked his phone back into his pocket, feeling his resolve solidify and finally stood up again. He went over and sat in his computer chair, booting his computer up before pulling up a new document.

_Rules__:_

1: Keep at least two feet away at all times

2: Stiles goes to school

3: Curfew is 10 pm

4: _No_ flirting

5: Keep updated on Mr. Stilinski's condition

Derek sat back, looking at his measly list of rules he set for himself. It already felt restricting but if he was going to make it through this time period without hurting Stiles then he'd have to abide by these five simple rules.

Satisfied that he now had at least a semblance of a plan he saved the document to his desktop so that he'd always see it when he looked at his screen to remind himself and went to unlock his door.

Stiles was rustling with his meager luggage in the other room, making small huffing noises. Derek quickly ran upstairs and grabbed the whiteboard that they'd found in one of the rooms while cleaning and the eraser and markers that came attached and hauled them downstairs. From a drawer in the kitchen he grabbed a hammer and a nail and quickly hammered it into the blank wall next to the kitchen. Stiles peeked out of his room at the noise.

"What's that for?"

"Writing on." Derek huffed.

"Oh haha mister funny man. What are you going to put on it that's important enough to impale your wall so violently?"

Derek didn't answer in favor of hanging up the three by two feet board on the nail. It hung a little away from the wall because of the nail but it was sturdy. He uncapped the black marker and quickly wrote _Rules__:_ at the top.

"Rules? Really?"

"Yes really." Derek said sternly before Stiles could say anything else and quickly wrote down three quick sentences.

1: School comes first

2: Curfew 10:00 pm

3: Respect the rules

"That third rule is totally unnecessary!"

"The rules are to be followed at all times, no questions asked. I'm your guardian until your father gets better and the way you're living right now is unacceptable for a growing boy. You are going to go to school, do your homework, do extracurricular activities, eat proper meals, and clean up after yourself properly."

Stiles just crosses his arms, leaning against the door frame to his room, eyebrows raised as he stares at Derek.

"For one we don't even know if my dad _is_ going to get better. For another my curfew was 11:30 pm on weekdays and midnight on weekends. The school year has already started and I'll be way behind in everything so even if I do go I'll just fail anyways. I'm absolutely terrible at all extracurricular activities, what with my ADHD and coordination issues and pretty much _everything_ else about me."

Derek held up a hand and Stiles stopped his rant.

"Look, all I want is for this stay to go as smoothly and peacefully as possible." Sour notes of hurt damper Stiles' scent, his stance stiffening. "Your father is absolutely going to get better under my uncle's care and when he does he'll be able to come back to his healthy son. Then you two can go back to your normal lives."

"What normal lives? He doesn't have a job and if I'm in school I can't support him. We're going to be so far in debt we'll drown in it. I don't want my father coming home to something like that. I have to make this better Derek." Stiles uncrossed his arms, leaning forward a little as he became more intense. "You don't get it, I almost _killed_ him. This is _my _fault and _I_ have to make it better. As much as I can anyway. I can't just go back to school like nothing happened. I have to support my father and pay for everything that has happened and will happen. I need to get a job _again_ since I've been fired from all my other ones." Stiles clenched his fists, his chest heaving. "You wouldn't understand. You have all your money and a warm family to support you but my father and I have _nothing_. We have no one to look to for help. I cost my father his job and almost his life and I just…" Stiles broke off, biting at his lip harshly.

Derek stood there uncomfortably, hating the bitter scent of hurt and sorrow coming off Stiles, his wolf crying to get closer but he had to stand firm. He crossed his arms in front of his chest to put at least some semblance of a barrier between the two of them.

"You're wrong. I do understand." Derek said quietly and Stiles looked up at him with furious eyes.

"No you don't! You have _everything_!" Stiles yelled, pushing himself forward.

Derek quickly stepped backwards so there was still space between the two of them and Stiles froze, looking horrified. He shook his head harshly and turned around, darting back into his room and slamming the door, leaving Derek standing there on the kitchen tiles feeling tauter than an overstressed rubber band, waiting for the snap back. But it didn't come.

There was no way to salvage this conversation and Derek didn't try, figuring that since Stiles was upset with him it'll help with the whole 'staying apart' part of the plan even if it did suck.

Neither of them spoke to each other the rest of the night. They ate at different times, Stiles making a quick sandwich for dinner that couldn't have been enough but Derek didn't say anything. Instead he spent the evening contacting the Beacon Hills High School to figure out how to enroll Stiles into this year. He'd never done anything like this but with the help of one of the administration he was able to get Stiles registered for classes with a schedule ready for him for next week.

The school still had Stiles' information from the previous year that he hadn't finished and was put into extra classes but still bumping him into the proper year for his age group since he was actually incredibly smart. Derek was a little surprised to find out that Stiles had actually been one of the top five students in his year before he'd dropped out of high school. Third in his class actually. It made Derek's wolf swell with pride at the prospect of a smart mate but Derek quickly stamped out any and all thoughts of _anything_ to do with mates and simply printed the schedule along with the list of books needed for the year and shut down his computer.

The next morning was tense but Derek needed to talk to Stiles so as soon as he heard the boy get up he too got up and dressed, joining him for breakfast.

"I got your schedule and books for your classes. You were allowed to join in your age group as a sophomore instead of as a freshman and have been given two extra classes to help make up for lost time. Your lunch account has been set up for the year as well with enough money to get both a snack and lunch every day. I'll give you an allowance to take care of gas and any other school supplies you'll need." Derek explained to him as Stiles ate his Wheaties.

"This fucking sucks. Did nothing I said get through to you yesterday?"

"I said I understood." Derek growled. "You need to finish high school to get a proper job to support your father and you can't do that if you stick with shitty jobs instead of actually attending school. You'll be going to school starting Monday even if I have to drag you kicking and screaming there myself."

Stiles gave his own human growl back, glaring hard at Derek before slamming his chair backwards and dumping the rest of his milk down the sink and putting his dishes into the dishwasher, slamming that closed as well. Derek clenched his jaw when Stiles slammed the door to his room and immediately stalked off to his room, growling low and dangerous in his chest. He wanted to punch something _hard_ but with Stiles here he couldn't. So instead he took to digging his claws into his palms and stalking back and forth furiously, trying to quietly calm himself down.

After about fifteen long minutes of angry pacing and howling in his head he finally felt calm enough to unclench his hands and let his palms heal, collapsing into his computer chair. He didn't know if he could do this. Stiles was a hormonal teenager that his wolf was ridiculously attracted to and he hadn't dealt with anyone like this in years. He was so over his head.

His phone rang on his desk, startling him. Glancing at the screen he quickly jabbed the answer button and pressed it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"_Whoa, what crawled up in you and died? What the hell is wrong with you sunshine?"_ his sister growled.

"Stiles is upset that I enrolled him in school instead of letting him work. He's…moody."

"_Well duh, he's a teenager. You were moody when you were a teenager. Just let him blow off some steam."_

"I can't even talk to him Laura! This was a horrible idea! It'd be better if you'd have taken him in instead. I can't handle this!" Derek lowered his voice until he was barely whispering into the receiver, "My wolf is going nuts. I can barely keep myself human when I talk to him when he's this…emotional."

"_We both knew this was going to be difficult Derek but you're making this a thousand times worse for yourself. If you keep doing this to yourself and to him then things will continue to go to shit. You _need_ to let him in Derek."_

Derek growled low and menacing into the phone. "Why did you call?"

"_I talked to mom last night about the whole Stiles thing and she thinks you should bring Stiles over to the house at least twice a week. She wants to get to know him better. You know what that means."_

"No. Absolutely not!" Derek gnashed between sharp teeth. "You can_not_ tell him!"

"_That's for your _Alpha_ to decide Derek, not you! Mom likes him a lot and with his father being previously employed in the law enforcement she thinks he'd make a good addition to the pack. He can stay human but she wants to get to know him."_

Derek made a dark noise deep in his chest but kept his mouth closed. He wanted to roar, to howl at them for putting him in this situation. "Laura. _Please_. I can't do this." He finally said, voice low and desperate, feeling slightly breathless.

"_Derek calm down right now."_ Laura snapped and Derek immediately straightened up. _"You are making this a way bigger deal than it has to be. You will obey your mother and your Alpha. Stiles is a good kid, Derek, and if you'd open your bloody fucking eyes you'd see it too!"_

"I _know_ he's a good kid! That's why I don't want him involved! We can't ruin his life like this!"

"_Oh yeah, ruin it as opposed to what? If you haven't noticed his father is in a coma in a hospital with no signs of waking up. Even if he does wake up he's going to be seriously fucked for a long time. Stiles' life is going to suck anyways. Actually, this way he'll at least he'll have our support through all of this. _You_ might even benefit from all of this."_

Derek sighed at her sound logic. She was right of course but that didn't mean that he had to like it.

"_It'll be mom's and Stiles' decision on this, alright? If she accepts Stiles' she'll find a gentle way of telling him, you know she always does. You remember when she told Emmet? He took it like a champ. If Stiles is half the man he seems to be then he'll handle it even better, you just have to believe in him."_

"Ok, ok. I'll listen to mom but if I think it's too much for Stiles' I'm going to pull him away from all this."

"_Just trust mom. She's the best Alpha and the best mother. She always knows what to do."_

"Ok. Stiles starts school on Monday so I'll bring him over starting the week after so that he has time to get used to the pace of things before he's wrenched into this twisted plot."

Laura laughed, the sound soft on Derek's ears. _"Oh please Der-bear. You make us all sound so sinister."_

"You kind of are." He growled but he was pretty much completely calm now, his sister had that unique ability on him.

"_I love you. I'll let mom know the plan. I'm sure she'll call you later to make solid plans."_

"Alright. I'll still try to convince her otherwise but if this all goes the way that she wants it it'll still be up to Stiles if he wants to become involved with us or not. It's a risky life."

"_But it's a better one than what he'd be left with. Just think about it Der-bear. I love you."_

"I love you too. Talk to you later."

Derek sighed deeply when they finally hung up, leaning heavily against the armrest of his chair and rubbing the stress from his eyes. A small thump drew his attention to his door and he cursed, shooting to the door and wrenching it open. Stiles stumbled three feet backwards onto his butt with a terrified and surprised look on his face at the furious look Derek gave him.

"What the hell are you doing?!" he yelled.

Stiles stood up, face going flat, blank. Derek felt taken aback by the expression but didn't let it show.

"I heard you yelling and came to apologize but…" Stiles paused and gave Derek a small, sad frown. "I'm going to go pack my bag. It was a terrible idea coming here."

Derek finally jerked back, face smoothing into a mask of confusion and surprise. "What?"

Stiles shook his head, heading for his room. "You made it very clear that you don't want me here. There's no way in hell I'm going to stay here if I'm _that_ unwanted. I'll go to school but I'll stay at my house. It's closer anyways."

Derek was across the room in half a second, grasping Stiles' arm before he could make it all the way into his room. Stiles gasped in surprise but jerked at his grip.

"Damnit Stiles!" Derek cursed violently. "You weren't meant to hear _any _of that! You completely misread all of that information!"

Stiles glared at him, baring his teeth in anger as he shoved at Derek. "As if! I could hear everything! You regret taking me in; you don't want me here at _all_!" His voice cracked on the last word and he clenched his teeth tightly together. "Let go." He hissed.

Derek pulled him in close, his face inches from Stiles'. "No." he growled. "You completely misunderstood."

Stiles wrenched his face back, jerking his head to the side to hide the angry tears gathering in his eyes. "I understood pretty fucking well you asshole. Let. Me. Go."

Derek tightened his grip and pushed him into his room and against the wall beside the door. "Just fucking listen. I've never done this before. I don't take care of people very well."

"You think?" Stiles hissed, struggling against Derek's grip still.

Derek pressed him harder into the wall, both hands pinning Stiles' wrists to the wall.

"Listen!" he yelled, inches from Stiles' face once more. "I want to take care of you but I don't know how. I was expressing my insecurities to my sister since she seems to be a fucking natural at it. It would've been better for you to go with her but…" Derek bit off the rest of that sentence, breathing harshly and trying to calm down.

There was a pause as they both breathed heavily, chests pressed together. Derek's mind was muddled, going a mile a minute and none of it made any sense. He had been so close to spilling and he had to reel himself back in.

"But what?" Stiles asked quietly, still angry but curious as well.

"I'm… You…" Derek growled in frustration. "I…"

Stiles surged forward, mouth slamming into Derek's furiously. Their teeth clacked together on impact before Stiles' lips covered Derek's, absolutely no finesse in the movements.

Derek's wire-thin control snapped.

**A/N: Muwahahaha! Hang around guys! I'll be updating in a few days! Heehee! No really though I couldn't figure out where to end this chapter so I chose to do it in the most inopportune place possible. You're welcome! Look forward to the next one!**

**Thank you so much to yalls who review and favorite and follow my stories and me, it's absolutely amazing! My brain is absolutely dead so I'm gonna just…stop. Yeah. ~hearts~**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Oh good golly this took a hell of a lot out of me. I have been binging on Teen Wolf since I finally bought the DVDs but that made me neglect my writing. I sorry! Well, I can't exactly say sorry because I am 97% sure that I'm going to do it again. Probably sometime soon! I have the absolute worst case of writers block and this chapter didn't exactly go the way I wanted it to. Oops.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Wolf.**

**ENJOY!**

Derek pushed his entire body into Stiles' until Stiles was completely pressed into the wall. Stiles made a short whimper in the back of his throat but kissed back with a ferocity that seemed to surprise and please Derek. His legs clutched at Derek's since it was the only part of him that he could sort of move and a growl bubbled through Derek's chest.

Stiles whimpered at the hard press of Derek's firm body against his own and Derek swallowed down the sound greedily. A harsh bite against Stiles' bottom lip made him cry out, biting back in retaliation. There was nothing sweet about this kiss. It was all teeth and furious battling between lips. When Derek pressed harder against him, his thigh pressing between Stiles' slightly spread ones Stiles moaned loudly into Derek's mouth.

Sudden cold engulfed Stiles' front and he was left clutching at the wall, sliding down it on wobbly knees and using it as his only support that barely kept him standing. It took several long minutes of gasping to realize just what had happened. Stiles' eyes finally focused after several large intakes of air on Derek who was pressed against the opposite wall.

"That was fucking amazing you fucker." Stiles bit out, his lips tingling and his teeth buzzing.

"You shouldn't have done that." Derek snarled, glaring at him with furious eyes that seemed to look blue in the odd lighting.

"I should have done that a long time ago. It was fucking awesome and you're a fucking shit for pulling away." Stiles spat and stood back up. "You sure you still want to keep me?"

Derek stood up tall away from the wall with pure fury in his eyes as he walked towards Stiles. Stiles felt a spark of fear but anger and arousal quickly drowned it out.

"Yes."

The word was growled into Stiles' ear before Derek's hulking frame disappeared out of his room. Stiles slammed the door shut behind him and collapsed onto the ground, hands furiously working at his pants, pulling open the button and unzipping the zipper. His throbbing cock jumped from his pants and Stiles moaned harshly when he finally got a hot palm around himself.

Stiles' mouth still tingled and he pressed his fingers to his lips and touching the kiss bruised skin. He could feel the beginning sting of stubble burn around his mouth. Stiles stripped his cock hard and fast with a dry fist, just shy of painful. The energy from the kiss and his anger sizzled underneath his skin and Stiles writhed as his stomach started to tighten. This was going to be embarrassingly fast but he could still feel the ghost of Derek's hard body where it'd been pressed against him and taste his unique flavor still on his tongue.

Stiles swiped his thumb firmly across the weeping head of his cock and clenched up hard as his orgasm slammed into him. The cry he gave was much louder than he intended but the intensity of his orgasm had him seeing bursts of light behind his eyelids. Cum drenched his fingers and soaked the edges of his underwear and shirt where it was rucked halfway up his stomach.

The post orgasmic bliss finally soothed the ache of anger and Stiles just lay there, soaking in the pleasure until the cum on his skin started getting tacky. Sighing he finally righted himself and let his soft dick slide free of his fingers. He was probably going to regret being so rough with himself later but he couldn't bring himself to care at the moment. His lips were pleasantly sore as were his wrists where Derek's grip had tightened to the point of pain. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that he was going to press on those bruises later that night and cum just as hard at the memory of it all once again.

Once Stiles had cleaned himself up and changed into clean clothes he felt a lot better, the stress relieved for the moment. He sat on his bed and lifted his crumpled schedule to look at the classes and times he'd be taking on Monday.

**Schedule****:**

_1) U.S. History – Westover - 7:30-8:10_

_2) AP Literature – Blake - 8:13-9:00_

_Break – 9:00-9:15_

_3) Algebra II – Stowe - 9:18-10:30_

_4) Chemistry – Harris - 10:33-11:30_

_Lunch – 11:30-12:00_

_5) Phys. Ed. – Ham - 12:03-12:57_

_6) Health/Home Ec. – Osland - 1:00-2:02_

_7) French – Morrell - 2:05-3:00_

**Extra Classes****:**

_1) Trigonometry – Stowe - 3:10-4:00_

_2) English II – Blake - 4:03-4:45_

Holy hell that was a lot of classes. Stiles sighed, feeling the stress already weighing him down three days prior to the actual school day. He was going to have to take all these classes for the rest of the year to make up for the finals he'd missed freshman year and the three months he's missed sophomore year already.

When he'd crashed he'd only given himself three months to fully recover, working from home on his computer until he was well enough to walk around. His side often hurt him but that was about it. Going to school wouldn't be harder than working as much as he had been, he was sure of that. The psychological damage school could do though, that's what he was afraid of.

Sighing, Stiles shoved his schedule into his bag he'd packed all his clothes in and flopped onto the bed. He needed to make a list of supplies he'd need since he'd sold almost everything he owned. He'd brought over one box and one bag of things that had been all that was left in his room. Tomorrow he'd go out shopping with the money he'd gotten from his last paychecks after he'd quit.

Pencils, notebooks, highlighters, pens, backpack… Stiles didn't realize how much stuff he'd gotten rid of that he needed for school. He'd gone out this morning without talking to Derek, passing him on his way out the door as Derek came out of his room. It was painfully awkward. Now he stood in the checkout line of the local superstore that he'd had to quit last week. Yeah, today was just going to be an awkward and most likely embarrassing day.

"Stiles."

"Boyd. Still working at the ice rink?"

"I am."

Stiles stood there rocking back and forth on his feet as Boyd scanned each item. He'd always been a quiet one and right now Stiles was immensely grateful of that, not wanting him to pry into his business about why he quit or why he wasn't in school since they were in the same grade.

"Thanks." Stiles smiled as he paid and grabbed his items, fleeing the store.

Once in his Jeep he took several calming breaths. If just going to the store was this much pain then going to school was going to be hell. Being surrounded by people, having to deal with the questions and the looks and the judgmental remarks. It sent his heart skittering into his throat and he had to physically stop himself, put his hands on the wheel, and take long, deep breaths to calm the panic inside him.

By the time he finally parked in Derek's driveway his heart was calm and the panic had subsided. The Camaro was absent from the gravel and Stiles heaved a sigh of relief even if he felt a tiny bit of disappointment inside. It was almost noon by the time he finished putting his backpack together and he was starving, having skipped breakfast in his haste to leave. He was walking out of his room when the front door opened and Derek walked in with two large, brown bags.

They both froze, staring at each other with hesitation. Stiles was surprised to see the intense look of shock and almost fear on his face before it smoothed back into its usual stoic mask of indifference.

"Hey, uh, sorry for rushing out like that." Stiles finally said after they'd stood there for several awkward moments.

Derek finally moved, shaking his head and starting towards the kitchen. Stiles followed, stomach growling loudly. Derek set the bags onto the table and started pulling paper wrapped food out of them. Stiles groaned and sat at the table.

"You are so amazing. Foooooood." He groaned loudly.

Derek pushed a large amount of food towards Stiles and sat opposite him, pulling an equal amount of food towards himself.

"You even got curly fries?!" Stiles squealed, pouncing on the food. "Dude, I love you so much right now."

Derek froze across the table, halfway through unwrapping a burger but Stiles consciously made the decision to completely ignore how incredibly terrible that sentence just was and how damning it could be and instead focused on the food. Derek eventually finished unwrapping his burger and went about eating food at a normal pace while Stiles just shoveled it all in. Somehow Derek still finished eating before he did.

"Dude, how the hell do you do that? You had the same amount as I did and I eat like a lunatic yet you finished before I did. That is a serious skill you have there. Ever thought about entering an eating contest? That'd be so awesome." Stiles snorted. "That'd be a sight. You eating at a normal pace next to the others porking it down and you _still_ finish before them." Stiles laughed and finished his last bit of his fries.

Derek just shrugged and startled crumpling up all the trash on the table and stuffed it into one of the large paper bags. Stiles started to do the same while slurping on his soda he'd grabbed from the fridge.

"You know, you haven't said anything to me all day. I mean, well, the morning part wasn't your fault but all throughout lunch you didn't say a word. Are you still mad at me?" Stiles asked cautiously.

Derek threw his last bit of trash away before turning to Stiles.

"I'm not mad."

Stiles stopped gathering trash and sat, frozen, ready for him to continue but Derek didn't say anything else.

"Uh, ok. If you're not mad then why are you giving me the silent treatment? We're not six year olds having a spat. We're two adults trying to have a conversation."

"You're still only a teenager." Derek corrected.

Stiles frowned, glaring at him. "You know exactly what I mean." He pauses then, eyebrows going up as he dawns on something. "Is _that_ why you're mad? Because you kissed an underage teenager? Seriously?! That's what you choose to be mad about?" Stiles scoffs. "I thought it'd be something like, 'I don't like you,' 'That was gross,' 'You're a dude,' that kind of thing! Well, I mean, I did factor in the age thing too but, really? You're only a few years older than I am and let's face it, I'm just as mature as you are."

Derek raises a mocking eyebrow and Stiles sighs. "Ok, I can be a bit immature sometimes but, seriously, age is _so_ not the issue here."

"Then what is the issue Stiles?"

"That you kissed me back! That even though I started it with an angry yet satisfying kiss and you finished it with just as much enthusiasm. If I'm going to be staying here until my father gets better you're going to have to talk to me, whether you like it or not. I'm a very social person, I like to talk, a lot, if you haven't noticed, and I can't simply hold one sided conversations all the time, especially if there's a situation like this!"

"You seem to be doing rather well."

Stiles groans in frustration, leaning his head back. "You are _so_ missing the point here Derek." He leans forward again, not missing the intense glare Derek is giving his neck. "You see? You're mad, but I don't know exactly why. I'm not going to apologize for kissing you. It was absolutely amazing. However, I'll apologize that it didn't seem to be good enough for you." Stiles scoots his chair back and stands. "I'll try to do better next time."

Derek stands up fast, almost knocking over his chair. "There won't _be_ a next time."

"What if I want there to be a next time?!" Stiles yells, his heart beating so hard in his chest he's afraid it'll come out through his mouth.

Derek grimaces and Stiles pulls back as if the expression had physically wounded him.

"Wow, I guess it really was that bad if you make _that_ kind of expression." Stiles runs a nervous hand through his hair, his heart starting to hurt at its fast pace. It feels constricting. Too constricting. Stiles needs to get away.

Gasping, Stiles turns away from Derek. It feels like the start of a panic attack but it's a little different. The pain wasn't exactly coming from his lungs, more like from his side where the car had impacted during the crash.

"…iles. Stiles! What's wrong?!"

Stiles doesn't know how but suddenly Derek's in his face, breath washing over his cheek.

"I…I uh…it happens sometimes." He gasps. "Just…leave me…alone."

Stiles tries to push Derek aside to get to his room, to curl up into a ball on his bed but Derek is an unmoving wall in front of him.

"Stiles, you're hurting. Why are you hurting?"

Stiles looks at him, confused. "How'd you know?"

Derek shakes his head. "Doesn't matter. I'm taking you to the hospital."

Stiles grips Derek's bicep hard. "No! I am not going to a hospital! I'm fine! It's just a panic attack, nothing more. I don't need any sort of doctor or physician or anything looking at me. I'll be fine if I could just lay down for a bit. Just…leave me alone. Please. I don't want you seeing this."

Unshed tears make his eyes burn and he frantically blinks them back. Nothing more humiliating than having your person of interest staring at you while you have an episode. Stiles shakes his head continuously until finally Derek moves and the path to his room is clear. Quickly he runs to the room and slams the door, locking it so Derek can't follow him.

"I'm sorry." He gasps, eyes still burning. "I'm sorry. This wasn't meant to happen. I didn't mean to. I got worked up and…" Stiles shakes his head, not knowing why he was even saying this when Derek probably couldn't even hear his whispered apologies.

Stiles sat next to his bed instead of on it, not wanting to take the effort to climb those last few feet and sat with his head rested on his knees. For a while he simply let himself drift in the silence after every panic attack he has before his mind starts up again with its endless noise. He had no idea why he freaked out like that. There was no rational reason for him to have panicked and what made it even worse was the fact that Derek had just witnessed all of that. If he wasn't a freak before then he certainly was now.

After several long minutes Stiles picked himself up off the floor and winced when his side shot with pain. Quickly he brushed it off ignored the pain while he slowly paced the room. He didn't know what to do with himself. Usually he was at work at this time but now he had too much free time on his hands and it made him feel useless.

Sighing, Stiles went to the door and pressed his ear to it, listening for any sign of Derek. When all he got was static silence he slowly unlocked the door and stuck his head out. Nothing. The trash had been cleared from the table and instead sat next to the back door but Derek was gone. Slowly Stiles left his room and went to the windows by the front door and peeked out to the driveway. Derek's Camaro was gone.

Well, things were just fucking _peachy_ now weren't they?

Stiles groaned and smacked his head against the wall a couple times. He just couldn't say the right thing. He had to go and make everything worse not only for him but for other people too.

"This sucks." Stiles hissed before heading back to the kitchen.

There were crumbs on the table and some trash on the counter so Stiles did the first thing that came to his mind. He cleaned. He knew this house probably better than Derek did so finding the cleaning supplies was easy.

For the next three hours Stiles cleaned everything he thought needed cleaning. He vacuumed, swept, mopped, dusted, sanitized, and wiped down every surface of the kitchen, his room, the living room, the other rooms down the hall, and the bathroom. He didn't touch Derek's room in case he didn't want him in there. By the time he was done and his hands were raw from all the scrubbing Derek still wasn't back and the fact was disconcerting. Maybe he'd finally driven Derek away.

The thought hurt but knowing that he'd taken a chance yesterday by kissing him and had been so harshly rejected today hurt worse now that he was gone. He felt like giving up. Like simply letting everything go. His feelings for Derek, his hope and want as well as dependency on him. He should let all of it go. But that thought hurt worse than the thought of Derek being gone.

Derek had kissed him back yesterday, fiercely. Stiles touched his lips at the thought. That had to mean something. The stares and the kiss and the words he'd given him when they'd went to that movie, all of it meant something. Stiles wanted that something. He wanted to _fight_ for that something. And he couldn't do that if he ruined it all now.

Stiles took a deep breath and sat in his room with his door open so that he wouldn't miss the sound of Derek coming in. He wanted to talk about this and really get the full story. There had to be some possibility of this all working out even though everything he'd done earlier made this a hell of a lot harder.

When Derek still wasn't back a couple hours later Stiles felt his heart breaking a little bit more with each hour. Finally, when Derek wasn't back by ten at night Stiles gave in and shut his door and turned out his light. Maybe he'd have better luck the next day. Maybe.

**A/N: This. Chapter. Sucks! It's all over the place with highs and lows of sexiness and sadness and anger and panicky-ness. I am so sorry if it seems totally horrid but I honestly couldn't come up with anything. I had to fill in the space between Derek laying down rules and to the next chapter after this one. **

**I have gotten such good feedback from everyone though! The reviews, favorites, follows, and everything have really kept me going. I seriously didn't want to write this chapter but knowing it's been about a week since my last post has gotten me going. Thanks yalls! ~hearts~**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Finally my writing started to pick up! Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews, they've helped with the direction of my story as well as inspire me to keep going. Thanks yalls.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Wolf.**

**ENJOY!**

Monday.

Moooondaaay.

Stiles groaned as he pulled into the Beacon Hills High School parking lot. The lot was full of cars already, students walking to and from cars, leaning against some as they waited for friends. The anxiety was already tightening his chest as students looked towards his rumbling Jeep as he pulled into a space at the very far side of the lot.

He sat there, for long minutes, trying to ignore the clock ticking away the minutes closer towards the start of the school day. Stiles was so lost in his dread that he failed to notice the person walking up to his Jeep and the knock on his door scared his heart into his throat. Jerking his head towards the window he relaxes as Scott's goofy face fills his vision. Grabbing his backpack and car keys before opening the door and hopping out, locking the Jeep behind him before Scott jumps him, pulling him into a crushing hug.

"Dude! I haven't heard from you in so long! I kept trying to send you texts and call you but nothing ever went through. What's been going on?! I went to your house yesterday to see you but no one was home. Where've you been?"

Stiles holds up his hands to stop the onslaught of words and Scott obediently shuts his mouth. They start walking towards the school while Stiles comes up with a proper explanation that won't reveal just how shitty his life has been.

"I've been…away. My dad's cousin moved in a few miles away and we've been staying there for a while. My phone broke too so I haven't really been talking to anyone. Sorry 'bout that Scotty!" Stiles lies with false cheer, feeling his gut churn with guilt.

"Cool. You missed a lot of school bud. Is your dad ok with that? I went down to the station a few times over the last month to see if you'd be there but he wasn't there either. Actually, the lady at the desk said that he wasn't working there anymore. What's that about?"

Stiles stopped them in the middle of the hallway, putting a hand on Scott's chest. "Look, things have been a little difficult for us lately. My dad got fired which is why his cousin has been taking care of us. Just…I don't want to talk about it ok?"

Scott stared at him, eyes curious but thankfully not suspicious. After another minute of uncomfortable silence Scott finally nodded.

"Alright dude, but just remember I'm here for you, ok? If you need to talk I'll listen. I know I've been away all summer and I'm sorry I wasn't there for that but I'm here now."

Stiles nodded. "Yeah, sure. Thanks bud. I've got to get to class so I'll talk to you later."

Stiles quickly took off towards his classroom, leaving Scott behind, not wanting to hear anything else he had to say. There was no way he was going to discuss this sort of thing so early on such an intense day.

First class: History with Westover. Well, at least Westover wasn't too much of a dick. Scott had had him last year and Stiles had visited the classroom many times when Scott was making up tests or just doing work. He'd often attend for free period as well to hang out with Scott. It seemed like a lifetime ago now.

Luckily there were no introductions and most of the other students ignored him since there was no one he knew in the class. Stiles supposed he was lucky to have this class first since it was a more laid back class that actually managed to hold his attention for more than ten minutes at a time.

Second class: AP Literature with Blake. She was a new teacher that had begun at the start of the new school year so he had no idea what she'd be like. By the fifth minute in the classroom he knew things were going to be difficult with this lady. Sure she was pretty with a nice smile but she made him introduce himself then quote _Macbeth_ before he was allowed to take a seat.

Lydia was in that class with him and although he still loved her beautiful strawberry blonde hair and luscious, glossy lips he wasn't in love with _her_ like he'd been for years. It was a strange feeling looking at her without feeling that familiar tug of longing in his chest. It was both nice and horrible. Horrible because instead his heart longed for someone else he had even less of a chance with than Lydia.

She still ignored him though which was actual a comfort in its familiarity.

The fifteen minute break between classes was nice. Scott gathered him from his classroom and they sat underneath the stairwell outside to avoid any other prying eyes or unwanted ears.

"I take it you don't want me to ask questions?"

"It'd be nice if you didn't." Stiles confirmed.

Scott just nodded and handed him a small bag of chips and took a sip of his juice while Stiles popped open the bag. It had been an unpleasant surprise when he'd opened his bag in the first class to discover he'd forgotten his wallet at home that had his lunch pin written on a piece of paper in. He'd have to remember that tomorrow for sure because he was already starving and it was only 9 in the morning.

Sure he'd eaten breakfast but he'd been so nervous all he'd been able to eat was some toast with a bit of scrambled eggs which hadn't sat well in the car. Now though he was relaxing which meant his stomach was calming which meant he was _hungry_.

Third class: Algebra II with Stowe. He liked this teacher. A kind, graying man with a mustache and glasses simply had him choose a seat and hadn't bothered him until all the other students were busy with their in class assignment before coming over to his desk and crouching beside him.

"You're pretty far behind but I've been made aware of your circumstances and I think I can allow you to take home simple worksheets instead of heavy textbook assignments. It might be difficult at first but if you stick to it you'll catch up in no time. That sound fair?"

Stiles felt his shoulders sag with relief. "Yes sir. Thank you."

Stowe gave him a knowing smile and patted him on the shoulder before returning to the front of the room. So far Stowe was definitely his favorite even if he did teach math.

Fourth class: Chemistry with Harris. Oh holy hell, the guy hated his guts. There was absolutely no need for the level of hostility he immediately received upon entering the classroom. Evidently the guy had a history with his father after being arrested for DUIs several times.

At least Scott was in that class with him. They could suffer in silence together since the second one or the other spoke they were called out by Harris. Suckage.

By the time the class ended Stiles wanted to pull his hair out. Scott was right there with him when they shot out of the classroom at high speed as soon as the bell for lunch rang.

"I'll meet you beneath the stairs." Stiles called as Scott headed for the cafeteria.

"Don't you want to see everyone?"

Stiles gave him a confused look. "Everyone? What 'everyone'? It's always been just you and me."

Scott's face went all goofy. "Oh yeah, you haven't met Allison yet." He said ridiculously. "Just come with me now, you'll meet everyone! Erica's been talking about you since, like, a month ago and Boyd joined us a few days after she joined us. Seems he knows you from the grocery store but he won't tell us how."

Stiles breathes a sigh of relief that Boyd was such a quiet character. The prospect of going to the crowded, noisy, nosy cafeteria was not appealing though.

"Dude, it's my first day back. Give me a break." Stiles gave a stuttering half laugh that came with nerves.

"Come on Stiles! You've gotta come with me! Allison is dying to meet you! I talk about you all the time and she totally wants to meet you."

Stiles wipes a hand across his face, sighing before moving towards the cafeteria with his friend. Scott claps him on the back.

"Thanks man!"

"Who _is_ this Allison anyways? It's obviously a chick but why are _you_ hanging out with a chick? When did this happen?"

Scott gave him a look before going all goofy again. "She was a new student this year and, I dunno, we just…clicked. She's awesome. When she agreed to go out with me I thought I was dreaming. Still feels like I'm dreaming. She's amazing dude. She's got these eyes, and her smile…" Scott sighs dramatically.

"Ok there Aladdin, back to reality. You're really dating someone?" Stiles asks as they push through the doors to the cafeteria.

Scott doesn't answer in favor of rushing to a table on the far left side of the cafeteria. A beautiful brunette rushed towards him, arms out, and wrapped Scott in her arms, kissing him firmly on the mouth. Well, that explained the dazed look on Scott's face. She is beautiful.

When they finally parted Scott turned to Stiles who was awkwardly looking anywhere but at the two and said, "Allison, this is Stiles. Stiles, this is my girlfriend Allison Argent."

Stiles lifted his hand awkwardly in a single wave before stuffing his hands back into his pockets.

"Hey, Allison, nice to meet you."

"You too, Stiles! I've heard a lot about you from Scott. Is your name really not Stiles?"

Stiles shoots Scott an aggravated look before shrugging. "I prefer if everyone called me Stiles."

"Stilinski!"

Stiles cringed, hunching his shoulders as his last name was shouted across the cafeteria. He knew that douchey voice. Slowly he turns to see the dirty blond, blue eyed, douche Jackson making his way towards him with Lydia right beside him, ignoring everything but her phone in her hands.

Jackson stops a foot from him, invading his personal space.

"Heard you got back today. I was wondering why Scott was missing his loser boyfriend. Where'd you go? You and your rent-a-cop father both disappeared for a while."

Stiles clenched his fists in the pockets of his jeans and held his tongue for several seconds before answering. "I was away for a while. Why do _you_ care?"

Jackson smirked, "I don't. The bench was looking cold and empty without you sitting on it during practice. Thought it might miss your loser ass sitting on it all day. Must say though, the view was much improved."

"Dude, Jackson, lay off. He just got back. He doesn't need crap from you." Scott stepped up.

Jackson turned to Scott, sneer still plastered to his mother-lovin' face, ready to talk shit to Scott too before Lydia smacked her hand against Jackson's chest, leaving it there.

"Jackson, I'm bored and hungry. If you're done talking I'd like the B lunch with apple slices."

"Of course. These losers have nothing good to say anyways."

Stiles felt anger burn within him as they both walked off, Jackson's arm over Lydia's shoulders over to the lunch line, cutting off several people already in line.

"I can see he hasn't changed much. Neither has Lydia." Stiles grimaced.

"Yeah but she can still come around buddy." Scott clapped him on the shoulder and steered him towards the table Allison had gotten up from.

"Nah man, I'm totally over her." Stiles said, plopping down into the cold chair.

There was silence from his friend for so long he looked up to see Scott's face completely twisted in confusion. Allison's was as well.

"How the hell are you over her Stilinski?" a voice asked behind him.

Stiles flinched again but thankfully it wasn't Jackson's voice again. He turned to see both Erica and Boyd standing next to the table, trays of food in their hands. Stiles sighed and rubbed at his face again.

"I haven't seen her in a long time and she's obviously not going to change then why should I pursue her and continue to torture myself?"

"Dude, you had a ten year plan. _Ten years_."

"Well I abandon that plan because it was stupid and masochistic. Totally over her. Seriously." Stiles tried to put as much force into his words as possible to get it across to Scott.

Erica and Boyd had taken spots on either side of the table, Boyd next to him and Erica across the table from Boyd. Scott and Allison sat as well, Scott on his other side and Allison across from him.

"Are you sure it has nothing to do with that hottie you came in with that one day about a month or more ago?" Erica questioned, biting into her apple with a vicious grin.

Scott quickly whipped his head around to stare at Stiles. "What?!"

Stiles quickly put his hands up, shaking them as well as his head to try and dispel the sudden turn the conversation took. "No, no, no! Erica, no!"

Erica continued smiling, one perfect eyebrow raised. "Oh yeah, definitely because of him. What's his name by the way? I never got to find out after my boss started bitching to me about professionalism."

"Him?!" Scott squeaked even higher. "I thought you weren't gay!"

Stiles glared harshly at Erica before turning it onto Scott. "I'm not _gay_ I'm _bi_. There's a huge difference." He whipped his head back to Erica and continued glaring at her until her smile dimmed a little. "I'm _not_ telling you his name." Stiles looked down into his lap at his twiddling fingers. "He doesn't need the trouble." He mumbled.

The table was silent for a while except for Boyd's quiet eating and Erica's loud crunching of the apple before Allison finally spoke.

"It's totally fine if you like guys Stiles, no one here is judging you. It's not a crime to like the same sex."

Stiles gave her a small smile.

"Yeah, totally! We're not judging you, I'm just kind of shocked. I had no idea. Why didn't you tell me?"

Stiles sighed. "What was I supposed to say Scott? There's no easy way of saying that."

"It's _me_ though Stiles! I'll accept you no matter what!"

"It's because it's _you_ that I didn't want to tell you! I don't know what I'd do if you were to react badly. I just…couldn't risk it. You know now so that's all that's needed to be said about this subject. I do _not_ need this today. It's too much to handle." Stiles put his head in his hands and sighed.

Scott gently patted his shoulder before he and Allison got up to go get their lunches now that the initial rush had dwindled.

"Sorry Stiles. I didn't mean to upset you."

Stiles raised his head and gave Erica a small smile. "Yeah you did but it's ok. I get it. I'd want to know too if I were you and probably would have said a _lot_ more. Just…not today, ok?"

Erica nodded, smiling. "I'll be asking about it later you realize?"

Stiles shook his head with a small smile. "Of course."

Boyd turned and gave him a gentle smile before continuing to eat his food. Stiles' stomach growled loudly at the sight and he sighed. It was going to be a rough rest of the day. Thankfully by the time Allison and Scott had returned the subject had been dropped and they were on the topic of Halloween that was coming up in three weeks.

Stiles didn't pay much attention and instead spent most of the time pouring over his make-up assignments from the first four classes. By the time the bell rang Stiles had already done several questions in his history assignments and a page of math homework.

Fifth class: Physical Education with Ham. Stiles found it kind of ironic that the gym teacher's last name was a delicious food. He was pretty cool though, letting Stiles join in only if he wanted to. Stiles decided to simply sit on the sidelines since the violent movements of dodgeball were a bit too much for his side which had been increasingly in pain over the last few months. It felt like his injury from the crash hadn't healed right but the scar down his side was a healthy pink that had closed about a month after he'd gotten to the hospital. It was probably just the memory of the injury that made it hurt. Well, that's what he told himself.

Because of the scars he'd opted to get dressed into his PE uniform in the bathroom stall rather than the locker room like everyone else. He'd lacked in self-esteem before but now it was completely destroyed. There was no way he'd let anyone else see him even semi-nude ever again.

Sixth class: Home Economics with Osland. Both Erica and Allison were in that class with him. Actually the majority of the class was all female, even the teacher. The current project they were working on was learning how to slice and dice vegetables and fruits. The teacher went over the lessons they'd already covered for Stiles' benefit which included how to read a recipe, kitchen safety, as well as how to make basic cookies.

They were allowed to get into teams so Erica and Allison immediately made their way over to Stiles. Once they were all prepped and left to their own devices the room erupted into a cacophony of chatter.

"What do you have planned for Halloween Stiles?" Erica asked as she started washing the fruits and veggies.

Allison was right beside her, washing the knives, handling them expertly, and looked up at him expectantly.

"Uh, nothing. I have a _ton_ of work to catch up on and I'm taking two extra classes. I have no time to do anything for Halloween."

"Oh please, you can take a single night off for Halloween. You can go trick or treating with us."

"Us?"

"Yeah, didn't you pay attention during lunch? We were all discussing our plans for that night." Erica grabbed a clean knife from Allison and handed both it and a carrot to Stiles.

Stiles took the knife and carrot and sat them onto the countertop in front of him. "I was kinda preoccupied."

"Hmm."

Allison handed over the next knife to Erica before turning towards Stiles. "You can ask your friend to come too if you'd like."

Stiles startled a bit at the mention of Derek. "Uh, no. No he would definitely _not_ want to go. What are you guys doing that night besides trick or treating?" he changed the subject quickly.

Erica smirked with her red lips before driving the knife into the unsuspecting apple violently. "We're going to Lydia's Halloween Bash that she has every year."

Stiles pouted as he began dicing his carrot. "I've never been invited to one of those. How did you guys get an invitation?"

"Allison is her best friend."

Stiles gave Allison a questioning glance and she simply shrugged in return as she finished slicing and dicing her cucumber despite being the last one to start.

"Well, that's lucky for you guys then."

"You too Stiles. You're going whether I have to drag you by your ears."

Stiles put down his knife and covered his ears with a mock pout. Erica just laughed and they finally changed the subject.

Seventh and last regular class: French with Morrell. This one was tricky since the class had already started expanding past the beginning phrases such as greetings and numbers as well as alphabet. Morrell was kind enough to not call on him for any questions and gave him all the starter worksheets.

Allison was also in that class with him but sat on the other side of the classroom. Oh well.

When the bell finally rang for the end of school Stiles was ready to rush out to the parking lot before remembering that he had supplementary classes thanks to his absences. Groaning he stopped rushing to put everything in his backpack and instead sat back down and slowly started putting everything away.

When he was finally the last student in the classroom Ms. Morrell came up to him and sat in the desk next to him. Stiles paused in his motion to stand and sat back down and faced her.

"Stiles, I know you've been absent for a while for family reasons but I don't know the specifics of what happened. If it would help you to talk about it you're always welcome to visit me in the counseling office or you can catch me between classes or after school here if you'd prefer that."

"Uh, I don't really have anything to talk about."

"Stiles, you left school before the end of your freshman year, came back halfway through the first semester of your sophomore year, your father is no longer Sheriff, and you have a scar on the side of your head. Trust me when I say that talking about it can definitely help."

Stiles fidgeted uncomfortably. "Well, trust me when I say I _don't_ want to talk about it." Stiles said quickly and stood up, backpack slung over his shoulder.

"Just think about it Stiles. Only talk to me if you want to, I won't force you." Morrell smiled and got up from the desk and headed back to the white board where she began erasing the day's lesson.

Stiles took a deep breath to calm himself before finally leaving the classroom.

**A/N: I had so much fun writing this chapter. And the next three chapters which I completed within the last 6 hours. I'm so brain-dead I don't really know what to write in this author's note so… yeah, thanks! Yalls are awesome! ~hearts~**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: I forgot to mention in the last chapter that one of the OC teachers is actually a real teacher I had in high school. I absolutely loved that teacher and I miss them so I decided to put them into my story. **

**Also, I'd like to reiterate that I have absolutely no clue about the whole hospital, job, custody thingy, I'm just writing a story. A fake story. A story that does **_**not**_** actually happen. I know there are a **_**lot**_** of things that I am absolutely getting wrong and I'm sorry if that upsets yalls but I've never been through any of this and am writing from an imaginative point of view. Thanks for understanding.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Wolf.**

**ENJOY!**

His first supplementary class was Trigonometry with Mr. Stowe. There were only nine students altogether in the class, none of them that Stiles knew, but the teacher wasn't there yet. Several students stared at him as he walked to a seat in the back of the room before three of them leaned towards each other and started whispering furiously. One kid with dark hair and pale skin turned around in his seat and stared at him.

"Hey, you that Stilinski kid?"

Stiles started, unprepared for the question. "Uh, yeah. Why?"

"Is it true your dad crashed his car because he was drunk on duty?"

Ice flooded Stiles' body as he listened to those words. How did they know about the crash? It had happened just outside of town and it hadn't made the news.

"No it's not. Why the hell would you ask me that?"

"Because your pictures were in the Beacon Hills General Newspaper. It was only a small article but it mentioned a severe crash. The police didn't want to say anything on the subject." Another girl replied.

"There weren't supposed to be any pictures." Stiles choked out, feeling himself starting to get a little breathless.

"I just happened to be passing by at the time of the crash and took a couple of shots before they shooed me off." The kid confessed, shit eating grin plastered across his face.

"Oh! You're the one that took those pics? Those were pretty sick dude." Another boy laughed.

"Yup. I thought they were pretty good too. The newspaper ate the story right up. Got quite a bit of cash out of those shots."

A girl who'd been sitting quietly next to him leaned forward and said, "Shut the fuck up you sick sons of bitches. They were both nearly killed in that crash and you all think it's so funny? What if you'd been the ones in the crash? Would you be laughing then?"

"Shut up dyke. It wasn't us, which makes it hilarious."

The class broke out into cruel laughter before the door was pulled open and Mr. Stowe came striding in holding a stack of papers in his arms. Conversation was thankfully cut off as the class started and Stiles sent the girl a thankful look. She gave him a small understanding smile.

Turns out the photographer's name was Matt and the kind girl's name was Caitlyn. Matt kept glancing back at them throughout the lesson but both ignored him.

Stiles was immensely grateful when the teacher finally released them and Stiles purposefully took his time putting his things away so he was the last one to leave along with the teacher. Mr. Stowe didn't ask any question as they walked down the hall only several feet apart and Stiles was grateful. The douchebags had loitered outside the classroom, eyes locking on him before the teacher came out and they finally scrammed.

Second and final supplementary class: English II with Blake. Again with the creepy teacher! Stiles couldn't figure it out but for some reason this teacher, with her big smiles and 'teen talk', just weirded him out. Maybe it was just because Stiles didn't know her.

Thankfully, although he was given many odd looks, there were none of the other kids from last class in this class. The subject still sucked though and it was just as boring as Miss Blake's other English class. By the time the class let out the sky was starting to dim and Stiles was half asleep.

Gathering his stuff up he quickly darted out of the classroom ahead of everybody as soon as the teacher let them go for the day. The parking lot was dark since the school was hiding the sun so Stiles didn't see the figure leaning against his Jeep until he was right next to it.

"Stiles."

Stiles jumped, dropped his bag that he'd been rooting in for his keys, and gave a very many shout. Derek looked at him with an amused face before stooping to pick up his stuff from the ground.

"What the hell are you doing here?! Where's your car?" Stiles asked, looking around for the showy, black Camaro.

"Peter dropped me off. He swung by to see how things were doing and to give me an update on your father." He explained as he dangled the Jeep keys in front of Stiles.

Stiles grabbed them and unlocked the Jeep, climbing into the driver's seat as Derek climbed into the passenger seat with his backpack.

"How long have you been out here?"

"Not long."

Stiles rolled his eyes as they got on the road. "So, what did Peter say?"

"He said that your father is responding well to treatment. They had to operate on him once though to remove shrapnel that was still embedded in his abdomen and leg."

Stiles felt his body break out in a cold sweat. "Is he ok? I thought they'd already operated on him at the other hospital."

"They did to a certain degree. They did a poor job, only digging out the surface shrapnel and poorly sewing him up afterwards. Peter's doctors had to reopen the healed scars and dig out the rest of the shrapnel because it was slowing his healing and actually damaging him further since his body was trying to fight it off."

Stiles took several deep breaths as he tried to process what he'd been told. It took a bit of concentration to remain on the road but that concentration slowly brought him back from the panic.

"Does that mean he's going to wake up soon then?"

"We don't know when he'll wake up. The drugs the doctors gave him really messed with your father's brain. Peter took him off those drugs and used a milder drug that would still keep him under so that he'll heal without being in awake for the pain. However, Peter's not sure that he'll wake up after he takes him off the drugs completely."

"Ok. Ok. There's a chance that he'll wake up though, right?"

"Yes. There's a good possibility that he'll wake up but there's still also a very real possibility that he won't wake up at all. Just… be prepared."

"No." Stiles growled vehemently. "No, he's going to wake up. He wouldn't leave me all alone. Not like this."

Derek didn't say anything and Stiles didn't push it. He didn't need to hear anymore today. Instead he simply concentrated on getting them back to Derek's. It was late and all he wanted was to get something to eat, finish a bit of his homework, and sleep.

When they rolled into the driveway Derek took Stiles' backpack in while Stiles turned off his Jeep and followed. They didn't talk until Stiles was seated at the table with a ham and cheese sandwich, a pear, and a bowl of grapes.

"Did you eat at school?" Stiles shook his head as he bit off a huge chunk of sandwich. "Why?"

Derek waited patiently while Stiles chewed and swallowed.

"I forgot my pin number here." He explained quickly before stuffing his face with food once more.

"You could have just asked the lunch lady to look it up for you."

Stiles paused halfway through a mouthful of sandwich before quickly finishing it. "Oh, I hadn't thought of that." He shrugged. "Oh well. I have bad eating habits anyways. I can take a break from fatty cafeteria food every now and again anyways."

"It's not good for a growing kid to skip meals."

"I'm not a kid and I don't generally eat so little. I was just nervous today."

Derek nodded. "How was school?"

Stiles shrugged, refusing to make eye contact as he bit off the second to last bite.

"That's not an answer Stiles."

Stiles just glanced at him briefly before shoving the rest of the sandwich into his mouth, chewing slowly. Derek sat back in his chair and crossed his arms, making it obvious that he'd get an answer out of Stiles eventually. Stiles sighed and swallowed his mouthful.

"It sucked, ok? There's a reason I didn't want to go back."

"You got to see your friends though, didn't you?"

"Yeah, the best friend who didn't talk to me or see me even once during the six months I had my phone before I got rid of it now has a girlfriend and even _less_ time for me. The chick that'd ignored me for the last eight years despite my huge crush on her since third grade still ignored me. Though I don't like her anymore so I guess that doesn't really matter. The dick that's always pushed me around still pushes me around. Oh yeah, I got see them though. That makes _everything _better." Stiles sarcastically nodded and smiled before rolling his eyes and tugging the lid off the fruit cup.

"Were your classes ok at least?"

Stiles just gave him a long suffering look before once more rolling his eyes and digging his spoon into the Jell-O and fruit. They once again sat in silence for the few minutes it took Stiles to finish his fruit cup and set the spoon down on his crumb-filled plate.

"You know," he began in a quiet voice, "the other students are saying my father crashed the car because he was drunk driving. They thought it was just _so_ hilarious that we'd been wrapped around a tree, barely alive and in absolute agony. They even have pictures."

When Derek didn't say anything Stiles looked up to see Derek leaning forward, hands clenched into fists on the table, face contorted in rage.

"Who was it? Who took the pictures? Who said those things?"

"They were one and the same guy and it doesn't matter who he is. Let him assume whatever he wants, it's not going to change anything."

"Stiles, who was it?" Derek asked slowly and concisely.

Stiles picked up the pear and rolled it around in his hands. "Matt Daehler. He was just being a little shit though, he doesn't matter and neither does what he say. I know the truth and that's all that matters. End of story."

"Stiles. You don't still think this was your fault do you?"

Stiles gave him an incredulous look that said 'are you kidding me?' and Derek sighed heavily.

Stiles stared at Derek as he rubbed a hand over his face, scratching briefly at his scruff on his cheek before those green eyes finally settled back on him. Stiles looked away quickly and bit into his soft pear, distracting himself with the juice running down his wrist. Swiftly he ran his tongue up the trail and sucked the juice away from the bite so it wouldn't run. When he looked back at Derek his eyes were staring intensely at his hand before darting back up to meet his before finally darting away.

"Well, I have work to finish. Do your homework." Derek said gruffly as he stood up.

Stiles rolled his eyes. "Sure thing _dad_." Stiles responded sarcastically before taking another bite of his pear.

Derek didn't answer and instead just walked out, the sound of the door to his room closing soon after. Stiles sighed and finished his pear slowly. He really missed his father. It'd been a while since he'd last seen him. Last spoken to him. The absence hurt like a physical pain but Stiles quickly stamped it out and got up to throw away his trash. His dad was going to be fine, he was in good hands. There was no reason for negative thinking.

That night he did homework until almost midnight, finishing almost half of every classes' assignments before sleep had him drooling slightly against a math worksheet.

They next two weeks were a blur of motion. Stiles found himself warming immensely to Allison and even a bit towards Erica. He liked Boyd a lot for his silent nature and Scott got increasingly annoying as he regaled every last thing he did with Allison, which, frankly, totally creeped Stiles out. Thankfully Scott made up for it by sharing his food with Stiles as well as having epic video game battles every other day at Scott's house.

It was good to see Mrs. McCall again after so long. He'd never sought her out while he was in the hospital with his father, too ashamed to see her, but had actually missed her a lot. It was nice to have her being motherly to him again.

The closer they got to Halloween the more and more Erica and Allison tried to get Stiles to come with them trick or treating and to the party. Even Lydia joined in after a week and a half after Stiles' arrival back at school. They were sitting at lunch a week and a half before Halloween when the three of them ganged up on him.

"I think you should dress up for your hottie friend." Erica suggested wickedly.

Stiles sputtered, almost spilling his orange juice all over himself. Thankfully Allison caught the carton with her ninja skills before the damage could be done.

"What the hell Erica?!" he coughed.

"She's right. It would dramatically increase your chances of getting laid if you dressed up in something sexy for Halloween. It _is_ the only time of the year that it's appropriate to wear something sexy in public. Except for at beaches and pool parties." Lydia chipped in.

"Not helping!" Stiles flailed.

"That's actually a really good idea." Allison smiled her dimpled smile.

"The question is: _which_ sexy costume should he wear? He's got a slender build but his arms are pretty hairy. You'd have to shave if you wanted to pull off something like a risqué cheerleader or cat." Lydia pointed out as she tugged on his sleeve slightly.

"No! I am _not_ dressing up! Especially not in something risqué!" Stiles floundered as the girls started prodding at him.

"Maybe something red or black since he's got such pale skin. It'd make his moles stand out nicely too. Or maybe something exotic like a gypsy." Erica suggested.

"Oo, yes. Red and black would look nice. Maybe a maid? A sailor?"

Stiles laughed when Lydia suggested maid. How ironic would that be? Then he'd get to clean for Derek the 'proper' way, with a uniform. The thought had him staring into space for a second before Lydia snapped his fingers in front of his face with a knowing smile on her face.

"A maid then? Sailor?"

"Ugh, not a sailor, that's horrible. I'm not dressing up you guys! Not! No! N-O!"

"Maid it is then! I know of this website with the _cutest_ maid outfits. Jackson and I were looking through potential costumes and before we decided to be zombie cheerleader and lacrosse star."

"Of course you would." Allison smiled.

"You guys, even if I _were_ to dress up, which I'm not, there's no way I'd wear anything that reveals so much skin."

"Why? You have a nicely shaped body." Erica purred.

Stiles shivered. "Ugh, no, just no Erica. Totally creepy." Erica laughed loudly, more like cackled actually. "You should be a witch for Halloween Erica! Totally suits you."

Erica just blew a kiss at him.

"Is this because you have scars?" Lydia asked with an exasperated expression.

Stiles startled and looked at her with worried eyes. Before he could panic she set a hand on his arm and gave him a serious look.

"There is nothing wrong with scars; they just show that you're a survivor. Besides," she said, throwing her hair back, "there are a lot of maid costumes that cover a lot and are still sexy. If you show me where the scars are I can find you one that would cover them."

"No way. I'm not dressing up. I'm _not_ doing it Lydia." Stiles evaded.

Lydia gave him a predatory smile and Stiles groaned long and loud.

**A/N: Finally we get somewhere! Things are startin' to happen! Woot! Alls of yalls are so amazing with all of your support, every review and favorite and follow is so very important to me. Knowing that people like what I write keeps me writing. Thanks yalls. ~hearts~**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: OMG IT'S CHAPTER 20! This fic is going to go on F-o-r-e-v-e-r… That's fine by me, I've just gotta get to the smut part, I really wanna write it. I'm getting' there, I promise, I'm just taking my sweet time developing the necessary relationship build up that is required between two people, especially people as stunted as Derek and Stiles. I hope yalls aren't too angry with me for how **_**long**_** it's taking.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Wolf.**

**ENJOY!**

Four days later they were all sitting in Lydia's room, Scott was even there, which was absolutely humiliating for Stiles, but having his support was actually more reassuring. Erica had a plethora of make-up on hand, Allison was armed with a comb, razor, and gel, and Lydia was holding several hangers draped with a long plastic cover which all obviously held something sinister if her devious smile was anything to go by. Scott was just sitting there on the bed looking slightly traumatized but otherwise entertained.

"Ok, where do we start?" Stiles asked, his voice defeated.

"Oh cheer up, we're doing this for your wellbeing."

"You mean for your entertainment?"

"Yes, your wellbeing!" Lydia smiled.

Stiles groaned.

"First you need to shower and shave. Shave everything." Lydia instructed.

Stiles stilled in his restless movements and gave her a look of horror.

"You mean shave my arms and legs right?"

"I mean shave your arms, legs, armpits, treasure trail, and crotch. If you have hair on your chest shave that too."

Stiles stood there with his mouth agape, staring at Lydia in horror. Even Scott was looking slightly horrified.

"If you don't do it then I will." She threatened with the same sweet smile.

"You are evil. Pure evil, you know that?"

Her smile grew and she tilted her head a little. "Of course I am. I'm not at the top because of my niceness."

Stiles shook his head, eyes narrowing. "How can someone so cute be so evil?"

"I'm amazing, that's how. Now go before Erica and I drag you in there."

"That was rhetorical!" Stiles groaned but turned to Allison who held out the razor for him.

Glaring he snatched it from her grasp and stalked into the beautifully decorated bathroom. He slammed the door behind him and started to undress, yanking off his three shirts before toeing off his shoes, socks and jeans. There was no knock before the door was pushed open enough for Lydia to poke her head through.

Stiles stared at her in horror, freezing in his surprise and forgetting to cover up until he caught her steadily gazing at his long, deep scar that spanned a little over a foot down his side from just under his shoulder blade to the top of his hip in the front in a jagged, diagonal line. Quickly he used the pants in his hands to hide himself as best he could. Lydia simply rolled her eyes and looked at his face instead.

"When shaving, shave against the hair for everywhere but your crotch, then go with the hair or you'll be in a lot of pain when it starts to grow back." She started to back out of the door but paused and looked at his covered side. "By the way, the scar is beautiful." And with that she slammed the door.

Stiles stood there for many long seconds before he slowly started moving towards the large tub/shower. In an almost daze-like state he twisted the knobs to get the right temperature before he let the pants he was still holding against him go. Stripping off his boxers he climbed into the tub and closed the curtain, standing under the hot spray while his mind finally started working again.

The scar beneath his fingertips felt rough but also soft. The skin had the softness of newly formed skin but the roughness of odd edges where the scar jagged in different directions. The skin was solid like most scars were, taut. How could something so ugly be called beautiful?

Stiles stood there for a good three minutes just running his fingers over his scar before he shook himself and focused on the task at hand. The razor sat on the side of the tub as if mocking him and he sighed before turning to the many products lining the rest of the tub. There was no bar of soap so he had to read each individual bottle. Thankfully there was a tall, purple can with the words 'shave cream' but it was berry scented. Great. Not only was he going to be dressed like a girl but he'd smell like one too.

Stiles sighed and grabbed the bottle, popping the top open, and squirting it into his hand. It just looked like a simple gel but when he rubbed it on his arm it turned into a slick foam that when he ran the razor through left his skin silky smooth. Amazed he continued to shave the hair from his skin, pausing every other swipe to rinse off the choked blades.

After about five minutes he had both arms shaved and was in the process of spreading the shaving cream over the hair of his armpits. This was _not_ going to be fun. In under a minute he'd managed to nick himself and choke the blade with hair until it wouldn't shave. It took a bit longer than the arms since he couldn't really see what he was doing. By the end of it he'd nicked his left armpit twice and his right armpit three times.

Stiles sat down, legs out of the water stream, to shave his legs. The whole balancing on one leg thing would only increase his chances of cutting himself. This way he'd at least be able to move his legs freely.

Or not.

Turns out sitting on a hard, wet, slightly slicked tub floor made it incredibly difficult to hold still and shave at the same time. Stiles ended up mostly on his back with his leg up in the air, holding his calf still as he drew the blade against the growth of his hair. The angle made it almost impossible to reach over to the water stream to rinse the razor. By the end of _that_ he'd sliced himself numerous times on both legs and the blood ran in alarming streams down his legs. It was just the water making the blood watery so he simply kept his legs in the stream as he turned away from the water.

The crotch part was the most intimidating. Cutting himself there would hurt like a bitch and he had to get around both his dick _and_ his balls. Fuck.

For this part he went slowly, so very slowly. He contemplated just turning the water off but he needed it to rinse the razor and he didn't want the others to think he was done. It took a good fifteen minutes to shave from his happy trail to his dick, around his dick, over his balls, and somehow he even managed to shave his crack. There was a bit of pride dancing in him when he managed not to cut himself once _and_ shave everything. Misplaced pride, yes, humiliating pride, again yes, but still he was proud.

His chest had very little hair so he quickly swiped the razor over that and set the razor on the ground so it would continue to be rinsed as he rinsed himself off thoroughly. Once he was hair free he shut off the water and grabbed the towel hanging on the rack by the curtain. It was pink but at this point he didn't care.

Dry and smooth Stiles opened the curtain and stepped out, hanging the towel back onto the rack. Stiles reached down to grab his clothes on the ground but they weren't there. His clothes were gone from the bathroom and instead there was a single pair of black, lacey panties sitting on the counter that wasn't there before.

"Hey! Give me back my clothes!" he yelled through the door.

"Put on the underwear and come out!" Erica yelled back.

"No fucking way! The least I deserve is a pair of real underwear!"

"Put those on or come out naked!" Lydia yelled back this time.

Stiles groaned loud and long, frustrated with this whole thing. He'd liked to have kept even a _bit_ of his dignity. Picking up the underwear he held them in front of him.

"These are man panties! What the hell?! How did you guys even _get_ these?!" he yelled back in a higher tone than he wanted to admit.

"They're made for man parts, yes. Now put them on and get out here!"

Stiles bit his lip on a seething comeback and balled the underwear up in his hand and raised it as if to throw it but held on.

"Damn it." He growled and shook them out before stepping into them and pulling them up his smooth legs and over his hips.

Stiles had to admit, they were quite comfortable but there was too much clinginess. The fabric hugged his ass incredibly well, allowing half of the swell of cheeks to peak out from the bottom and the top hung almost dangerously low in front. They were sexy man panties damn it.

"How did you know my size?" he asks suspiciously.

"If you have them on then get out here. We have a lot more to do and we've been waiting for over an hour." Erica demanded.

Stiles looked at his pale, scarred, shaven, panty-clad body in the mirror and grimaced. This was so not what he wanted to do today. Or ever. Yeah, never would've been good. The edge of the towel he'd used to dry off caught his eye and he quickly turned to it, yanking it back off the rack and wrapped it around his torso so it covered to mid-thigh.

Finally he opened the door just a crack and stood there, not wanting to show anyone else his scantily clad form. The girls instantly rushed him and tugged him out of the bathroom while Scott gave him an encourage grin.

"Leave the towel Stiles. We need to get you into the costume and we can't if you hold that thing on. Drop it." Lydia demanded sharply.

"No way, I don't like it when my body is seen. It's just… I'm not like you guys. I don't the same curves, or nice skin, or…"

"Quit bitching and take the towel off Stiles." Erica gently even though the words themselves sounded harsh.

"Stiles, dude, we're all friends here. What are we going to do? Laugh? No way in hell buddy." Scott said from where he sat on the edge of the bed.

Stiles gave him an unsure look but the gentle look on everyone's face (except Lydia's, which was impatient) had his fingers losing their death grip on the pink fabric until Lydia was able to take it from him and bare his body. Stiles immediately tried to hunch in on himself and cover as much of himself as he could but Allison softly touched his arm and gave him a reassuring smile.

"It's ok Stiles, no one is judging here. This is just a group of friends having fun." She smiled.

Stiles slowly uncurled himself and stood properly and Erica smiled at him.

"Those look nice." She smiled, pointing at his underwear.

Stiles rolled his eyes but his hands immediately went to cover his junk that was held snuggly by the soft man panties.

"They really do. I knew I chose the right ones. The red ones wouldn't have made your pale skin stand out as much which is a really attractive feature on you." Lydia said as he returned from hanging up the towel in the bathroom. "Now, time to pick which costume will look the best on you."

Stiles groaned as she began taking all the costumes out of their plastic coverings. The first one was a frilly, lacey maid outfit. The white apron was made out of lace as well as the straps that went over the shoulders. There were bows and fake sleeves and layers underneath the skirt made out of a stiff, sheer material that did _not_ look comfortable. It came with a headband and black and white lace choker with ribbons.

The next one was made out a leather-like material, the skirt hanging flatter than the first with softer looking lace in layers beneath the skirt. There was still a lot of black and white lace but at least it wasn't choking in bows. The torso had a white ribbon laced through rings to mimic a corset. It also came with a headband and choker.

The third was his favorite given the choices. It was a plain black material with no apron but poofed out wide with layer upon layer of white fabric beneath the black skirt. The torso was an inbuilt corset that laced with white ribbon in the back. The sleeves were a single black strap with puffed white short sleeves. A white lace line circled the top of the skirt beneath the corset and it also came with a simple lace choker and headband. However, the chest area was obviously made for someone with larger boobs than his man breast.

The last one had a lot more white. The large apron was white as well as the chest piece that looked like a shirt beneath the black torso piece. It had slightly longer puffed sleeves and a bit of white lace. This one only came with a headband.

"So, which one do you like the best?"

"Uh, if I have to pick one then the third one I guess."

"It's simple with a lot of black to bring out your pale skin. I'll have to figure out what to do with the chest area then." Lydia said as she picked it up off the bed where the others were all spread out and brought it over to the vanity against the wall.

"I also got a bunch of stockings that would match a maid outfit." Erica stated as she picked up her bag and dumped out at least a dozen pairs of stockings. "I figured that I'd just keep whichever ones you don't want."

Stiles stared at the packages that were filled with lace and nylon and ribbons. It was a terrifying sight.

"Those things are going on my legs?! I don't think so. They'll never fit. My legs aren't made for stockings."

"All legs are made for stockings." Lydia counters and picks up the packages to spread them out onto the bed beside the costumes. "Now come over here and pick a pair."

"I don't care which ones I wear! They're all going to be uncomfortable anyways!" Stiles groans, exasperated.

"Fine, the three of us will each pick a pair and you'll pick from those."

Lydia labeled the stockings from one to eleven and the girls each picked one. Lydia picked up the first pair which was a basic nylon until it got to the thighs where it ended with a lacey, rose pattern that connected to a lace slip with ribbons that went over underwear. Erica picked ones that were similar but instead of nylon they were large fishnet diamonds. Allison picked a more basic pair that was just regular fishnets that ended at the thighs with giant bows.

"Um, Allison's then. They look the simplest." Stiles sighed, pointing towards the package Allison was holding.

"They are pretty cute. I think they'd definitely be better with the tops of mine. You know, It's super simple to put the tops of mine onto those and it'd stay up better! You wouldn't have to constantly adjust them since they'll undoubtedly start to slip down as you walk. This way they'll stay up and in place." Lydia explained as she took both hers and Allison's into her closet and came back with a small box of sewing supplies.

"While she does that let's start planning the hair style and make-up you'll be wearing on Halloween."

"Please don't make me look like a whore." Stiles pleaded.

Scott laughed from where he sat on the bed and Stiles glared at him before turning around to sit in the chair in front of the vanity where all the make-up and shit was set up, waiting to maim his face.

Erica pulled his hand up from his lap and set it on the desk, telling him to leave it there, and began opening make-up palette after make-up palette. Vivid reds and purples, greens and blues peeked brightly out from between dark blacks and browns, silvery greys and golds. It was an intimidating collection. There were even several sparkly, glittery _things_ amongst those. Stiles muffled a groan. This was going to suck.

And it did.

For the next three hours the three girls (and occasionally Scott…fuck you Scott) made up Stiles' face and hair, wiping make-up on and then off his face, gluing and then ungluing his hair. By the time that they had a satisfactory look for him his face was numb and his scalp felt like it'd been run through with a needle brush over and over. He had to admit though, he looked pretty good.

His eyes were very lightly outlined in black to accentuate his already dark lashes and was very lightly blended up from the corner of his eye to his crease line. Then white was lightly blended in the middle of his eyelid to the inner corner of his eye. It was a very subtle gradation between his own skin to the actual make-up. His lips were slightly darkened to a red that made his lips look like he'd been chewing on them for a few minutes and then glossed with a very thin layer of clear gloss. There was no foundation since it'd cover his moles and his skin was already pretty smooth. His hair, which was slightly longer than his usual buzz cut, was sticking up in the front and leaned slightly to the left and the rest of his hair was gently mussed. Altogether the look wasn't that much different from what he usually looked like, just…sexier.

"This look is perfect. Those other bolder colors didn't suit you at all. Well, except for the red. You look really good in red Stiles. But that wouldn't have fit the costume really. Now all that's left is to look for a nice pair of shoes to complete the outfit." Erica dusted off her hands of extra eyeshadow and powder.

"Let me grab the black feather duster in the hall closet. That'll be perfect." Lydia stood up from the bed. "Get changed into the stockings and costume Stiles." She commanded as she left the room.

Stiles sighed and stood up, grabbing the dress and lifting it over his head and slipping it down over his body. The laces were undone in the back so it was fairly easy to slide into. The only difficult spot was the middle of the dress getting stuck around his shoulders but a couple good hops and firm tugs had it sliding down into place. Erica quickly got behind him and started tugging the laces tight so that the dress would conform to his body.

"I need to _breathe_ Erica!" he gasped as she gave a particularly harsh tug.

"Suck it in Stiles!" Scott laughed from the bed where Allison and he sat cuddling against the head board.

"I'd like to see _you_ go through this!" Stiles gasped at him. "Then we'll see who's laughing!"

"I laugh at the both of you." Lydia said as she came back in holding a small feather duster.

"Why do you even have that?" Stiles asked as Erica finally stopped yanking and began tying up the ribbon into a bow.

Lydia shrugged and handed it to him. "Why not? It could come in handy and it has."

"This is all so pointless? Why'd we do this today when I'll just to do it all over again five days from now?"

"So that we know exactly how to make you up instead of spending those three hours trying to find a look _on_ the night of Halloween. Now we'll have you done in half an hour flat. Now put on the stockings. I'm going to browse for shoes in your size."

"I wear size ten."

"I know. It should be around size eleven to twelve in women's." Lydia muttered as she pulled out her laptop and began searching through shoe sites.

"I am _not_ wearing heels." Stiles protested vehemently when he saw the six inch stilettos pop up on screen.

"Oh please you big baby, you'll wear what I pick. Though you're right, high heels wouldn't suit you. You'd be too tall for your boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend! How many times do I have to tell you people?!" Stiles cried.

"Hmm, these ones look nice." Lydia continued, completely ignoring Stiles. "There are some low, thick heeled ankle boots with laces that are super cute."

"Yeah, that's fine, whatever. I'll only wear them for one night anyways. You guys are wasting your money."

"Oh trust me, we're not wasting out money." Erica purred, raking her eyes over Stiles' form. "As soon as you 'friend' sees this he'll jump your skinny bones."

"Hey! I'm not skinny." Stiles pouted, hugging his arms to his chest.

"No, you're lean. You're all sinewy muscle." Erica hummed, saying the words like they were dirty and sexual.

"Gah, please, Erica, please just…no. I soooo don't need you doing that." Stiles shudders.

"Careful Erica, Boyd might get jealous." Allison laughs from the bed.

Erica's face melts into surprise as she whips her head around to stare at Allison.

"How the hell…?"

"I have keen senses." Allison chuckles. "That and the way you look at him is the same way I look at Scott. And vice versa."

Stiles smiles wickedly at Allison and she dimples back. Erica just huffs and rolls her eyes.

"Whatever. Stiles, get your stockings on."

Stiles laughs but does as he's told, bunching up the fishnets and bows and stepping through the lacey slip Lydia had sewn on professionally and carefully tugged them up his smooth legs. The feeling was like nothing he'd ever felt before. Soft yet itchy, comfortable and yet totally uncomfortable. He tugged the top of the stockings up as far as they'd go over his thighs before pulling the lacey slip up over his man panties to rest on his hip bones. Huh, guess one size really does fit all.

Lydia slams her laptop closed and turns to face Stiles. "Yes, those are perfect. It's just enough black that it doesn't fully cover your paleness but it's just enough cover that your paleness doesn't drown out the black."

Stiles rolls his eyes. "Get all technical with it why don't ya? I'm not _really_ that pale."

"Yes Stiles, you are." Scott chuckles. "You practically glow in the dark you're so pale."

"Thanks for the backup dude! Jeez!" Stiles hisses in mock anger.

"No problem!"

Allison and Erica chirp with laughter alongside Scott and Stiles can't help but smile as well. Lydia smiles as well but it's a more of a privately amused smile.

"Well, now that the look is complete I'm going to take pictures so that 1) we have a reference for Halloween, and 2) so that I can blackmail you for the next ten years or so." Lydia stated matter-of-factly as she whipped out her phone that looked like a digital camera.

"Whoa! No way! No pictures! I don't want this haunting me for the rest of my life! It's a one-time thing! I trusted you Lydia!"

"That's your fault, not mine. Now hold still so I can get a good shot."

Stiles flailed around, dancing from foot to foot. "No, no, no! Not happening!"

"He's right. He's not picture worthy yet. He's forgetting this…" Erica comes up behind him and slides the maid headband over his head, "and this…" then ties the choker around his neck.

"What the hell?!" he exclaims wildly.

There's a click, a beep, then a flash of blinding light that has Stiles blinking furiously, cursing loudly at both Lydia and Erica.

"He's not looking at the camera but the shot actually isn't half bad. Let's try another with Stiles actually being cooperative. Come on Stiles, don't mess this up."

Stiles sighed but finally held still. "Well, when you put it that way."

Lydia snapped pictures, repositioned him, and snapped more pictures. Stiles felt like he'd already posed for at least a hundred different photos by the time that Lydia finally decided she had enough.

"Alright. You're going to have to shave the day of Halloween so that your skin is still smooth when we redo everything and if you try and back out of this I have all these wonderful pictures that I can post in every classroom of the school." Lydia threatened.

Stiles just sighed and nodded. "I'm not backing out. I am, however, washing all of this off my face, out of my hair, and changing into my normal clothes."

"'Kay. Make it quick, I'm going over to Jackson's in half an hour."

"Yes your majesty." Stiles said sarcastically and gave a mock bow.

Lydia just flipped her hair, looking pleased at the title. Stiles rolled his eyes and collected his clothes and finally washed himself free of all the gunk. However, the corset was harder to undo than he though and finally had to have Erica come and unknot the ribbon and unlace it so that he could slip it off without ripping it. She laughed the entire time.

By the time he exited the bathroom everyone but Erica was gone.

"What's up? You need a ride?"

"Actually yeah. Lydia's going the opposite direction of my place and Scott and Allison are, well, Scott and Allison."

Stiles nodded enthusiastically. "Gotcha, loud and clear. Come on, I'll give you a ride. Where do you live?"

"Out by the diner down General Street."

"Oh, ok. I used to work at that diner, I know exactly where that is."

"Sweet! Thanks."

"No problem."

They chat as they go to her house, talking about nothing in particular until they make it to General Street and Erica suddenly asks gently, "What's the relationship between you and that guy?"

Stiles was silent for several beats before sighing. "Honestly, I don't really know. I guess you can call him my guardian for right now but that's only because my dad is still in the hospital. I started out as his house cleaner but then I became his friend and I think we were headed towards something more until…well…he found out about who I am."

"That was my fault wasn't it?"

Stiles looks over to see Erica's face drawn down in what looked like regret and guilt. He quickly reaches over and sets a gentle hand on her arm.

"It's ok. It was bound to happen eventually. It just happened sooner than I thought it would. It never would have worked out between us anyways. He's…well, you've seen _him_." Stiles chuckles. "I'm just…me."

"What the hell are you on about Stilinski? Haven't you seen a mirror? You're fucking gorgeous." She lets out a small, bitter laugh. "I was actually totally head over heels for you in freshman year."

Stiles gives her a strange look before he pulls over in front of a bunch of houses a little past the diner.

"I had no idea. I mean, you're absolutely stunning Erica but I never really looked at anyone except for Scott, as my best friend, and Lydia, as my love interest."

"But now things are different, aren't they? You really like this guy."

Stiles sighs before answering, "Yeah. I really do. His name's Derek."

"That's why you hesitated on the maid costume idea wasn't it?"

Stiles blushes an embarrassing shade of red before nodding. "Don't tell the others though. I don't need Jackson or Matt finding out about this. The rumors and bullying would become unbearable if they found out and I _really_ don't need that right now."

Erica nods and gathers her things, turning towards the door but stops before she pulls the handle. "You should tell him how you feel. What I saw back at the restaurant wasn't just 'like'."

And with that she was gone, climbing out of his Jeep and slamming the door behind her as she walks down the street to a small house with the front lights on. Stiles sits there, making sure she gets into her house alright and then longer to think over her words. He had an idea of what she meant but over the past couple of weeks Derek had been completely ignoring him, only saying general greetings and asking monotonous questions before retreating into his room once again. It was painful to go through but Stiles understood it. At least…he thought he'd understood it.

Maybe not as well as he'd thought. Maybe five days from now he'd finally be able to change things. Maybe.

**A/N: Almost there guys, almost to the good parts! Stick with me just a while longer and I swear yalls will be rewarded. I can't guarantee that yalls won't be disappointed with the outcome because honestly I have absolutely no idea how the story is going to progress, I just hope that I won't do too bad. Thank yalls so very much for everything! ~hearts~**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: There seems to be a bit of a miscommunication in my writing about Mrs. McCall knowing about Stiles' situation. She Did NOT know about the situation. The admittance of Papa Stilinski was kept secret from the rest of the staff for the scam to take place. No one knew about Stiles' situation except for the three hospital staff who took part in the scam. Mrs. McCall had no idea. In chapter 19 it says "**It was good to see Mrs. McCall again after so long. He'd never sought her out while he was in the hospital with his father, too ashamed to see her, but had actually missed her a lot.**" Which means she did not know therefore Scott didn't know. Sorry about the miscommunication. Yes there are a lot of inconsistencies but for the sake of the fic hardly anyone knew. I thought I'd made it clear in previous chapters and I'm sorry it didn't come across correctly. It was only just revealed that Matt had taken a picture and sold it to the newspaper so a few people **_**do**_** know but not a lot. **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Wolf.**

**ENJOY!**

When Derek got home from visiting his parent's house per their request, Stiles' Jeep wasn't parked in the driveway. It was Monday night and he had school in the morning. Quickly he tugged out his phone and pressed Stiles' number, quickly pressing the phone to his ear. A dial tone and automated message informed him that the current number he was calling was no longer in service and to hang up. Confused he looked at his phone to make sure he had the right contact and pressed the dial button again. Still no answer.

Frustrated he stormed inside and looked through his papers on his desk to see if maybe he'd written the wrong number down even though he knew the one in his phone was correct. There was nothing.

"Stiles, what the hell are you doing?" he growled to himself and went out to the living room to wait for Stiles to get home.

Stiles had finally convinced Derek that he needed _something_ in the living room so he'd bought a cushiony couch that reclined and had cup holders in the arms per Stiles' request. He sat there now, watching the front door and clutching his phone in his hand so he'd be able to answer it immediately if Stiles called.

There was absolute silence for the next two hours. Derek's patience was starting to wear thin when a familiar rumbling engine started down the gravel road to Derek's house. Anger lit once again within Derek's chest and he growled low and menacingly deep in his chest. It only amplified when the Jeep headlines shone through the darkness before Stiles turned off the Jeep and climbed out. Derek was standing by the door when Stiles opened it.

"Where the _hell_ have you been? You don't answer my calls and it's a school night. You…" Derek froze, catching Stiles' scent and finally really seeing him.

Stiles was frozen, heart hammering loudly in his chest as he stared up at Derek with wide eyes surrounded by smudges of dark…something. He also reeked of artificial berry scent and make-up. Stiles began fidgeting as the silence stretched on while Derek did a full sensory check of him. He didn't smell like sex but he definitely smelled like females. Plural.

"What. The. Hell. Stiles?" Derek ground out, teeth gnashing with anger.

"I, uh, I went over to a friend's house and we got carried away and I accidently stayed out past curfew and I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to, I swear it'll never happen again. We were doing an experiment with something and it took _waaay_ longer than any of us anticipated and…"

"Stiles, shut up." Derek growled and Stiles immediately shut his mouth, cowering back slightly against the hot fury rolling off Derek. "Why do you smell like a girl?"

Stiles stood up straight, mouth popping open wide in shock. "I _what_?! I smell like a _girl_?! I…oh… I had to take a shower over there." Stiles' scent immediately turns embarrassed and he starts fidgeting, face emanating heat. "I kind of got really messy and it seriously got _all_ over so I took a shower over at my friend's house. Don't worry though, all the people who were there were spoken for so nothing bad was happening, I swear."

Derek stared at him for several long minutes even after Stiles had sputtered to an embarrassed stop. There was no uptick in his heart beat or stutter in his words. Stiles was telling the truth.

"What do you have on your face?"

Stiles' face blanked once again into shock and a little bit of horror as he started wiping at his face.

"What?! I thought I got it all! Damn it! Freaking girls and their stupid freaking stuff, messy, gross, why?" Stiles muttered as he furiously wiped blindly at his face.

Finally Derek started to calm down, relieved that Stiles hadn't _been_ with other people. It was Derek's turn to blanch as he realized what he'd just thought. He had absolutely no right to tell Stiles who he was or wasn't allowed to date. Damn it!

"Then what about your phone? I tried calling you multiple times but kept getting a dial tone and automated message. Is it dead or off?"

Stiles looks up at him startled and a little confused. "No, I haven't had my phone in a while. I had to stop paying for it so I could save that money. I thought you knew. It was right after that last time I called you to come over."

Derek frowned, thinking back to the last time he'd actually called Stiles. Huh, he hadn't realized it'd been so long.

"Oh, right, sorry. I…didn't know."

Stiles shrugged. "It's ok, you don't have to apologize. I didn't tell you either so it's totally my fault. I'll make sure to follow your curfew from now on, I won't break the rules again, I'm sorry."

Derek sighs and finally backs off, trudging back towards the couch and sitting down heavily. Stiles just stands at the door, looking unsure.

"No, it's alright. You… you should hang out with your friends more often. You've finally started acting like a teenager."

Stiles just keeps staring at him, obviously not understanding by the look on his face.

"You've been more relaxed lately. I was…concerned. I'll move the curfew to eleven instead of ten and I'll get you a new phone so I have some way of reaching you."

"No way man! This was a one-time thing…actually, it was preparation for the 31st so it's gonna happen again on that day but after that it's never gonna happen again, I swear. There's no need to waste your money. The extra hour is pretty awesome though. Thanks."

"I had no idea where you were today or when you'd be coming back or _if_ you were coming back. I'm getting you a phone, no discussion."

Stiles sighed long and exaggerated. He opened his mouth as if to argue the subject some more but Derek gave him his best 'no nonsense' face and he quickly shut his mouth again.

"Fine, do whatever you want. I'm going to do some homework before bed. Good night."

"You might want to shower again. You really smell like a girl."

Stiles groaned, face flushing in embarrassment and Derek couldn't help but feel a spark of pleasure at the reaction before stamping it down hard and standing up, retreating to his bedroom without another word.

Over the last few weeks Stiles had finally begun relaxing, his face lighting into smiles more often, cracking jokes and having fun. He spoke of his friend Scott often as well as a few newer names with an odd sense of fondness. Derek would question it if he wasn't so glad Stiles wasn't trying to leave anymore. There were still some days when he'd come home smelling like sadness and pain and wouldn't talk much but in the last week he'd only retreated back into himself maybe once or twice, if that. It was relieving.

Derek hadn't been sure what to do about the boy after that night he'd allowed himself to indulge in himself and the boy and shared that heated kiss. It'd been a mistake, one he'd thought would cripple what little they'd built between them, but Stiles hadn't brought it up once. There were some heated moments, arguments and intense stares that had Derek tensing but just as soon as he thought that Stiles was going to bring it up for sure the moment would pass and Stiles was slumping into himself or joking away the moment.

So Derek would end up sitting in his bed with a book in his hands, not comprehending any of the words he read as his mind turned aimlessly, listening to the boy in the other room get ready for and go to bed, like he was now. Stiles made him feel like he was swimming in emotions and _lust_. The amount of arousal that poured off the boy had grown over the last few weeks and it had Derek _aching_ to get his hands on the boy. It was becoming unbearable. One slip up and he'd have the boy bent over the kitchen table and panting on his dick before the boy could utter a single syllable.

Stiles groaned in his sleep and Derek felt heat shoot through him. When Stiles had jerked off the second he'd gotten out of that room after the kiss Derek had had to listen to it, dick aching as he tried not to succumb to the temptation. It was futile.

Derek set aside the book he hadn't read a word of and thought back on the feel of those luscious, full lips, the feeling of the slick slide of his tongue when he'd opened up so sweetly under his firm touch. The sensations had been almost overwhelming. His dick pulsed heavily in his night pants and only lasted another minute of listening to Stiles' quiet noises of sleep before he had his hand smoothing down his abdomen and under the elastic band. The groan he let out when he finally got a firm hand around the base of his dick was low and filthy, barely restrained.

Derek tried not to imagine the plush cupid's bow of the kid's lips stretched taut over his cock, he really did, but as his cock grew firm under his cruel tugging his mind was filled with visions of honey brown eyes peeking shyly up at him from beneath dark lashes, an upturned nose buried in the dark, coarse hair at the base of his cock, and long, pale fingers gripping his thighs as he pulls and pushes himself on Derek's cock, choking on it.

Derek comes with a muffled whine, covering his fingers and stomach with the thick liquid. It'd been a while since he'd relieved himself and the satisfaction buzzed through his veins as much as the disappointment did. He _should_ have more control than this. Stiles just brought out the worst in him, a side he hadn't let out in _years_. It was both terrifying and exhilarating.

As Derek cleaned up and finally got ready for bed he thought about the events of today. He'd nearly panicked when he'd come home to an empty home and then couldn't get in contact with Stiles. Then he'd come home smelling of females. It was disconcerting as much as it was relieving. What could he _possibly_ been doing that would leave him smelling like that? Derek thought about asking in the morning but it really wasn't any of his business what Stiles did.

Was he even doing the right thing? He didn't know how to take care of others. All these questions were getting redundant.

**A/N: Sorry this one is so short but I just **_**could not**_** figure out what to write. Things are moving soooo sloooww. Sorry 'bout that. I'm barely even 3/5ths of the way done with this story, I'm so bad at time skipping. So, here's what I have so far, I'm working on the next chapters.**

**Also, thank you so, so much for all of your support and lovely words. I know things are a bit unclear in some parts of this story but I'm trying to fix those as I go along. This story is developing in a way I didn't foresee therefore it kinda sucks. Sorry! Please stick with me as much as yalls can, I'm tryin'. I lurvs alls of yalls! ~hearts~**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: So, the last chapter was an absolute disaster and I am sooooo sorry about that. I hope these next ones are better. I felt better writing these next few chapters since the words flowed much easier. Some good parts are on their way so be prepared!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Wolf**

**ENJOY!**

Stiles had already been in the bathroom for an hour already, shaving thoroughly and worrying about tonight under the spray of the shower head. He still didn't know what exactly he'd be doing once the girls had him all prettied up but he had a sinking feeling that it'd be humiliating. The phone on the counter buzzed, startling him out of his thoughts and he quickly turned off the shower and toweled off his hand before grabbing his phone.

Lydia: _Hurry up! We need to get the costume and make-up on you before 6!_

Stiles glances to the upper right corner of his phone screen. 4:46. Holy hell he was _not_ ready for this!

Stiles: _I'm leaving the house! Give me 20 minutes!_

Lydia demanded his number the day Derek had given him his new phone and said if he didn't text her in proper sentences there'd be consequences. Stiles didn't know what those consequences were but knowing Lydia it'd probably be something either humiliating or painful, neither of which he was fond of.

Stiles quickly toweled off completely and tugged on the panties Lydia had given him at school that day before tugging on a pair of loose jeans and his plaid shirt and jacket. He hopped out of the bathroom, pulling on his socks as he went stumbling to his room to grab his shoes, keys, and wallet. Once he was ready he scurried out toward the front door. Derek was standing in front of the door, arms crossed and looking menacing.

"Where are you going?"

"Dude, it's Halloween, I'm going to hang out with my friends. I'm already late!" Stiles quickly explained, flailing a bit in his sudden nervousness.

"Your curfew is still eleven."

"I know! It's just a small Halloween Part with Scott and a few others. I'll only be gone a couple hours. Now _please_ let me through?!" he dances from foot to foot in desperation. He didn't want to have this conversation right now, not when he was so nervous with an edge of anticipation.

Derek made him wait for several more long seconds before finally stepping to the side and Stile was _gone_. Without looking back Stiles ran to his Jeep and hopped in and was driving out of there before a minute have even passed.

In the Jeep Stiles' phone rang and a shot of fear sparked through him before he got it under control. No phones in cars. No way. Not after the crash. When he pulled up to Lydia's house Lydia was already outside, holding her phone in her hand and looking irate.

"I told you to be here by 5 Stilinski! It's already 5:15! Hurry up and get your ass in there and start getting changed." She commanded.

Without saying anything Stiles hopped to it, running up the stairs and down the hall to her bedroom. Allison and Erica were already there but Scott wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Scott?" he asked, turning to Allison as he started unzipping his hoody.

"He's coming around 6."

Stiles nodded his understanding as he tugged off his shirt and jeans, feeling his face heat up even though he had no need to worry about the others seeing his scars, it was just a knee jerk reaction. Allison handed him his costume piece by piece and it only took him a couple minutes to tug everything into place. He felt slightly ridiculous but he couldn't help but feel kind of…sexy? It _was_ a nice costume after all. The make-up took a little over fifteen minutes since he kept blinking when they tried to do the eye make-up. The final product was a piece of work and it was 5: 41 by the time the girls deemed him done.

"Thank goodness we still have time. Stiles, you and Erica help put food out on trays in the kitchen. Allison, I need you to go fetch the bottles of soda and alcohol from the outside fridge. I'm going to go pick out the music. Chop, chop everybody! We have barely twenty minutes!"

They all scrambled to comply, Stiles wobbling slightly in the odd shaped shoes his feet had been forced into. His face felt heavy and his body felt awkward dressed in the short, gaudy outfit that made movements difficult. In the kitchen Erica pulled out a bunch of trays while Stiles began pulling the premade snacks from the fridge.

"Have you told Derek about your feelings yet?" she asks once they're alone and elbow to elbow putting food on the platters.

Stiles shakes his head. "Of course not. How in the world would I be able to tell him? He doesn't even like me like that, I'm sure of it. I mean, he's told me specifically that his tastes aren't restrained to females and he _did_ react that one time I kissed him but other than that he's only shown signs that I annoy the shit out of him. I wouldn't be able to handle it if he outright rejected me."

"You two have kissed?" Erica asked, expertly arranging deviled eggs onto a large, white platter.

"Yeah but it was my fault. We were arguing and I had this really strong urge to kiss him angrily and so I did and then he reacted _really_ strongly but then he pulled back with this absolutely horrified and angry expression and fled and I felt so guilty after that. Well, I felt guilty after I jerked off."

Erica chuckled. "You two are so stupid. What's the worst that could come of you telling him you like him? He could reject you, yes, but think about all the _good_ things that could come from telling him. He could, and probably does, like you back and you two can have hot, angry sex all the time. Besides, who in the _world_ could say no to you?"

Stiles glares sideways at her. "You mean _everyone_ I've ever talked to?"

Erica shakes her head and gives a pitiful shake of her head. "You know, I used to like you so much and even now I think you're pretty great. I'm sure that if given a chance to know you everyone would come to love you. You're pretty great you know, even if your mouth runs away from you all the time. I'm about ninety percent sure that Derek is totally digging everything Stiles."

Stiles sighs and simply shakes his head, putting a full tray on the other side of the counter and pulling up another empty tray to fill. They work in silence for a bit until Allison walks in with an armful of drinks.

"Hey Stiles, can you grab one of these before I drop it?"

Stiles rushes over and grabs two bottles from her and put them on an empty counter, pulling out plastic cups from the cupboard above them.

"Thanks, you're awesome."

Stiles smiles and goes back to helping Erica.

"So, I know we don't really talk about it but… can I ask what really happened over the summer? I mean, I already know some stuff but really it's only rumors around school and in the newspapers. I'd rather hear it from you than listen to what could be lies." Allison asked after several minutes of silence.

Stiles' hands still at the question for just a second before he takes a deep breath and says, "My dad and I got into a car crash in early April. He…uh… he had a heart attack on the way back into town after going to rescue me from a hole I'd fallen into when I went for a walk through the woods in the middle of the night." Stiles gives a humorless, bitter laugh. "What a stupid thing to have been almost killed over. If I hadn't…" Stiles shook his head sharply. "Well, we crashed pretty badly and he's been in a coma ever since. I had to pay for his expensive care for a long time, which is why I wasn't in school. But then I found out that I was being scammed by some of the hospital staff and Derek and his family took me in since they were the ones who'd found out about it and I don't have any other relatives in this country."

Allison and Erica were silent, working slowly as they thought through what they'd just been told. It was Lydia who'd been leaning against the doorway to the kitchen who finally broke the silence.

"That makes much more sense than what I've been hearing. Your dad got let go and people were talking but no one seemed to know where he'd gone. How come Scott's mom didn't know about this scam? Didn't she work in the same hospital?"

Stiles cringed. "That's also partially my fault. I didn't want to see her in case she told Scott what had happened. I didn't want anyone to know, I mean, I still don't really want anyone to know but it's better to tell you guys than have you assume it was my father's fault. Besides, Scott was busy with his lacrosse practices, he didn't need more to stress over."

"Stiles, he was really worried about you when he couldn't get a hold of you. When he'd dropped by your house and found it almost completely empty he freaked out." Allison scolded as she poured a large bowl of punch and lemonade.

"Oh right. I forgot he had a key. I just…"

"We know what you 'just' Stiles. We're telling you that it was stupid and to never make us worry like that again." Lydia admonished.

Stiles gave her an odd look. "I didn't think you'd care at all. You never even looked at me throughout freshman year. Actually, you haven't looked at me since third grade."

"Of course I'd notice when something as big as this hits this town and involves someone in the same grade as me. People talk Stiles and the majority of that chatter isn't kind or truthful. Getting to know Scott was very useful."

Stiles gave her a hurt glare. "You can't just use Scott like that."

"What she means, Stiles, is that she wanted to know the truth since she didn't believe the stories being told. When Erica said she'd talked to you a month prior he immediately began pressing for information and started driving around that part of town looking for you in his mom's car. I joined in a while after. We didn't hear anything new about you until Boyd heard us talking about you and sat with us at lunch to divulge that he'd seen you around town and that you were safe." Allison explained.

Stiles felt a sharp ache in his heart knowing that his friends had been so worried about him. "I'm sorry, it just…wasn't your problem and I didn't want Scott worrying. I didn't know you or Erica or even Lydia so I didn't think I was having very much of an impact on anything. I thought Scott wouldn't notice since he hadn't responded to any of my calls or texts for months. Turns out he'd lost his phone battery at that lacrosse thing. Which I didn't know!"

Erica puts a hand on his shoulder. "We know. We're not blaming you. We just want to know what happened and that you're ok."

Stiles sighed. "Yeah, I'm ok. I think. Stressed about my dad. I haven't gotten to see him in a while since he's an hour away at the hospital Derek's uncle runs. I mean, I get updates every now and then but it's not enough to subdue the worry. I'm also stressed about _Derek_ because there's this…_thing_ between us that I have no idea what to do with or interpret. Urgh."

They were all silent for a beat before once again Lydia piped up.

"Well, that's what tonight is for! You are going to wear that home and seduce the hell out of that man."

Stiles gaped at Lydia. "That is so not going to happen. He would freak out! Not in a good way kind of freak out!"

"Oh yes it is Stiles. He's going to snatch you up and eat you, trust me." Erica promised, wicked eyes dancing behind smoky make-up.

Stiles groaned. "I just can't. I'm… kinda scared of what might happen. Or what might _not_ happen."

"You need to grow some balls Stilinski." Lydia reprimanded before turning and hurrying out of the kitchen.

Stiles opened his mouth to say something snarky in return but the doorbell cut off his reply.

"That's probably Scott." Allison flashed her dimples and ran off towards the front door.

Stiles rolled his eyes and began arranging the platters nicely on the counter now that all the food had been evenly distributed amongst the platters.

"So what are you for Halloween?" Stiles asked Erica as she did the same.

"As soon as I get my mask and ears on I'm going to be Catwoman. Can't you tell by the spandex?"

"Not really. You're usually wearing something black and form-fitting nowadays." Stiles said with a roll of the eyes.

"Don't be jealous!" she laughed.

Scott and Allison and Stiles couldn't help but laugh when he stepped into the kitchen.

"Dude! What are you _wearing_?!"

Scott blushed but struck a hero's stance. "I am Robin Hood! I steal from the rich to give for the poor! Allison is my Maid Marian." Scott gushed, turning his love sick eyes on an equally love sick Allison.

"Oh please, get a room you two. I'm gonna hurl if I see anymore."

"Just wait until you and Derek are doing that. You'll think it's the greatest thing ever." Erica teased and bumped him with her hip on her way out of the kitchen and up the stairs to get the rest of her costume.

Scott gave him a confused look. "Derek? Who's Derek?"

Stiles quickly turned towards the living room. "What was that Lydia? You want me to come and help you? Alright! Sorry Scotty, gotta go help the ladies!" he lied and quickly retreated to the other part of the house.

**A/N: So excited about the next chapter! I reaaaally hope this chapter made up for the absolutely awful one before this. I'd change it but once it's written it's almost impossible for me to change is since the story has now changed and adapted to that direction and the rest of the story depends on that chapter. Urgh. So sorreh.**

**Thanks so much for everyone who blatantly lies to me to make me feel better, I love you guys. ~sniffles~ It's been a pretty difficult time for me lately since it's birthday time for my family and my birthday is actually this month (February) and I am soooo not looking forward to it. You know how people always say things like, "You're 21 now, you can drink all you want!" or "Now you can buy **_**me**_** all the booze I want!" Well, I **_**hate**_** alcohol with a fiery burning passion and it just kinda all sucks. ~sigh~ Well, enough of my ranting. I love alls of yalls! ~hearts~**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: So, I had to rewrite this chapter since the previous version was too unexplainably smutty and I felt that it was too much development and too much smut to just thrust into the story with no real prior relationship development so I toned it down a smidge and wrote an entire new chapter. I hope this looks ok. **

**WARNING!: male on male smut**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Wolf or any of its delicious little morsels. **

**ENJOY!**

The party was a blast. Stiles had anticipated leaning against a wall and drinking spiked punch or sitting at a table with his face buried in a plate of whatever was in front of him but what ended up happening is five people asking him to dance and many others who simply dragged him into the mess of people and grinding into him to the beat of the music. Stiles hardly knew any of them, male or female, who rubbed up against him or caressed his cheek or thigh but it was still fun. Stiles lost himself in the wonders of the party until his stomach growled loud enough to get his attention and he finally excused himself towards a slightly quieter part of the house to eat a plate full of pizza, chips, dip, and chicken nuggets. He held an unopened water bottle since he had to drive later and didn't want to chance any of the open drinks.

There were couples milling about in the room he ended up in and made sure to keep his eyes fixed firmly on his plate just in case there was something unseemly going on. Quickly he checked his cell phone (which he'd stored in the super useful, empty bosom of the dress) and gulped down a rough bunch of chicken as he realized it was already ten twenty-five. He had less than an hour to change out of this ridiculous dress, wash off all the make-up and drive all the way back to Derek. Fuck. He was so screwed!

Throwing away his plate he went up the closed off stairs and straight to Lydia's bedroom. The door was open with a light spilling out into the dark hallway and he carefully pushed it open just in case he disturbed anyone inside. Lydia was sitting against the headboard of the bed, head in her hands and knees pressed up against her chest.

"Lydia? Are you ok?" he asked quickly, going to her side immediately.

Her head shot up out of her hands and he took in the sight of her running make-up and blood shot eyes.

"What happened?" he asked sternly.

She shook her head and gave a small sob. "Jackson never showed up even though he swore he was going to be here. He's probably off with some little whore."

Stiles quickly pulled himself up onto the bed and sat right next to her, throwing an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into a hug.

"If he is then there is absolutely no way in hell he deserves to keep you and there's no way that you deserve something like that done to you. I've always told you, Jackson's a total asswipe."

Lydia shook her head. "He's just misunderstood. He and I are so alike, I _get_ him. I just thought I'd mean something to him too."

"It doesn't matter if you get him, _he_ doesn't get _you_. You need someone who won't treat you like a trophy and gives you the love you deserve. _Jackson_ is so not that guy. My advice, which is pretty rich coming from someone who's never dated before, is to dump him and find someone who will actually love you and be someone that you can count on no matter what. You're so incredibly smart and Jackson's just holding you back. You should just leave him in the dust and make him mourn his stupidity. Then again, this is Jackson, he won't even realize how incredibly _stupid_ he is."

Lydia gives a small huff of laughter and wipes at her eyes as she pulls away to look at him.

"What are you doing up here Stiles? You should be down there dancing. You looked pretty into it a while ago."

Stiles sucked in a breath and checked the clock again. Ten thirty-four. "Shit! I forgot! I have to be home before eleven otherwise Derek is going to kill me!"

Lydia moves with him as he gets off the bed and stands there looking slightly amused despite the make-up streaks still on her face as he frantically searches her room for his clothes.

"Where the hell are my clothes?! Lydia, I need to go right now!"

"You'll get your clothes back on Monday. Now, you should get going before you're late." She shoos him.

"Lydia, I'm sorry about Jackson, I really am, but I can_not_ go home looking like this! It's humiliating and I _really_ don't want him to be disgusted by me as well. Just, please, give me back my clothes."

"They say the greatest reward comes to those who take the biggest risk. You're _not_ getting your clothes back Stilinski so I suggest hightailing it out of here before you're late."

Stiles glares hard at her before glancing once more around the room to no avail. "I hate you so much right now. You're beautiful and smart but you're so evil."

"And don't you forget it. Don't worry about telling Scott you've left, I'll let him know. Bye-bye."

Stiles groans angrily before rushing out of the room, down the stairs, and out the front door to his Jeep parked in the driveway alongside Scott's car. Quickly he backs out and drives carefully down the streets, his anger fading away the farther he gets from the party, his worry taking its place. Stiles keeps his hands tightly on the wheel and his eyes fixed firmly on the road and pushes all thoughts from his head and simply focuses on driving.

He doesn't start worrying again until he's pulled into the driveway and it's 11:03, three minutes past his curfew.

"Fuck." He curses and quickly clambers out of the Jeep and closes his door quietly.

Tiptoeing he makes his way to the front door, staring at the dark windows as he fumbles with his keys to pull out the house key. There are still no lights when he clicks the lock open and slowly turns the handle and pushes the door open a bit. There's a slight squeak as the door opens enough to let him through the doorway and another slight squeak as he pushes it gently shut and locks it behind him.

He pauses for a couple heartbeats and stares into the darkness of the house but there's no movement so he breathes a sigh of relief and he starts towards his room. A hand shoots out as he passes the couch and he lets out a startled scream and tugs on his arm that is in the vice-like grip. The light clicks on next to the couch and Derek's furious face is illuminated, making Stiles' heart beat impossibly harder.

"What the _hell_ Derek?! You can't just do that! You scared the shit out of me! Why would you do that?! You could have turned on the light when I came in, or even _before_ I came in instead of sitting here in the darkness like a creeper!" Stiles shouts as he continues to yank on his captive arm.

"You're late. And what the hell are you wearing?" Derek growls, his eyes raking over Stiles' costume.

Stiles stops tugging and self-consciously tugs the short shirt down, trying to cover his stocking-clad thighs. A hot blush lights up his face and he stammers a bit.

"Uh, well, I…this is a costume. The girls thought it'd be funny to dress me like this since I accidentally might have suggested that I used to clean your house and that you're…uh, Erica said that…um… Can you just let me go?" Stiles finally squeaked, horrified at how horribly this conversation was going.

"You let your female friends dress you up like this because you worked as my housekeeper for a time?"

"Uh, yeah, kinda? I mean it was kind of a joke and it seemed funny and ironic and I mean, look at it, it's pretty nice even if it is meant for a female. I was going to change out of it before I came home but my clothes were…missing. I…uh, sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable with this, you weren't supposed to see it."

"Isn't it uncomfortable?" Derek asked instead of addressing the mess of words Stiles had just thrown at him.

Stiles looked down at his costume, anywhere but at Derek really, and shrugged. "Not really. Lydia did a good job at choosing the sizes. I mean, the tights are a little itchy because it's fishnet and the strings are pretty thin so they let air in just enough to tickle and the strings themselves are so light against my skin that they also tickle but at the same time it's almost an irritant but it's not bad. They're actually pretty soft." Stiles sighed. "I am so not explaining this right. Here, just feel them."

Stiles thrust his leg out towards Derek and patted a section of his stocking-clad leg. Derek hesitated but when Stiles moved his hand towards his leg he finally reached out and ran his big, warm hand over Stiles' leg. _Holy hell I didn't think this through_, Stiles gasped in his mind as Derek's firm hand swept over his knee and up to his mid-thigh where the stocking ended with a bow and his smooth, hairless thigh began. The brush of his fingers had desire shooting through Stiles but he dare not move.

Derek's hand continued to wander over his leg, smoothing over his knee and down to his calf where he gripped his leg and pulled it up.

"Do these hurt your heels?"

"Uh…" Stiles said articulately as Derek continued to smooth his hand over his leg. "Y-yeah, k-kinda. I mean…it sort of has a heel that I'm n-not used to but it's not too bad. There were worse options."

"Did they give these to you? The entire outfit?"

"I, uh, don't know. I mean, I'll have to check with Lydia since she's the one who got me pretty much everything I'm wearing. It's not too bad and it'd be funny to wear as a prank." Stiles gave a shaky laugh.

Derek took one of the boot's strings and pulled it, unknotting it and loosening it until he could pull it off, letting go of Stiles' wrist to take hold of his calf and lift it up as he tugged the shoe off. Stiles' breath hitched as Derek laid his stocking clad foot onto his knee, hand caressing his inner knee.

"Does that feel better?"

"Y-yeah. Yes, it definitely feels better. Thanks." He swallows roughly before saying, "B-but, now the other foot is uncomfortable."

Derek finally looks up at him, his eyes dark but his mouth slightly upturned, almost, dare he say, seductive. Stiles shivers and switches feet when Derek gently lowers his foot to the ground and picks up the other foot, untying the laces, and gently removing it from his foot, his hands gliding over his legs up and down once it's off and on the floor.

"You should probably go and wash all that make-up off your face." Derek said, releasing his leg from his grasp.

Stiles scoffs and stares down at him in anger and frustration. He doesn't move an inch even though Derek is looking at him with expectant eyes. Stiles opens his mouth but quickly shuts it. If Derek was going to play that game _again_ Stiles was absolutely _not_ going to play along with it. They've known each other for months now and the unresolved sexual tension that sang through the air whenever they were together was nerve wracking and Stiles was absolutely not tolerating it anymore.

"You're an ass." Stiles grits out and leans forward towards Derek.

Derek's face darkens. "You're stubborn."

"With good reason to be! Why the hell would you…" Stiles cuts off, too frustrated and nervous to get the words out correctly.

Blowing an angry breath out through his nose Stiles grabs Derek by the shoulders and leans forward, pulling his legs up on either side of Derek's lap and straddles him. Derek's hands grip Stiles wrists and pull them off of his shoulders but Stiles is already seated on his lap, hips pressed down harshly against Derek's legs.

"Get off me Stiles. This isn't funny."

"Does this look like a fucking joke to you? You want me and I _know_ you know I want you back. Why the _hell_ won't you just let this happen?" Stiles hisses out and grinds down in Derek's lap.

Derek growls and pins Stiles' hands to his sides, trying to stop his movements but Stiles is dexterous and wriggles too well for Derek to pin him down completely. Stiles takes his chance and ducks his head those few inches to Derek's mouth and catches is lips in a filthy, savage kiss that was all teeth.

Derek lunges suddenly, taking Stiles' weight and throwing it off to the side onto the couch. Stiles' heart thuds hard in his chest in surprise and a little bit of fear. Quickly he wraps his legs around Derek's waist and pulls him down with him, using Derek's grip on his arms as another means to pull him close.

"Stop Stiles, you're too young!"

"You know damn well this isn't about my age. You think I'm pathetic, fragile. Like you'll break me if you let yourself touch me even the smallest bit. Well fuck off Derek, I'm not made of glass and neither are you!"

"I can't! Stiles! You don't want me!" Derek roars in his face and Stiles thrusts his hips up hard into Derek's, pressing his half-hard cock against his abdomen.

"You feel that? That's me wanting you!" Stiles surges up and kisses his mouth hard, tugging on Derek's bottom lip before flopping back down against the couch cushions. "You feel that? That's still me wanting you. I don't just want you for your body Derek but damn does it make me hot. Now get the fuck over yourself and kiss me!" Stiles shouts.

There's not even a pause between breaths before Derek is kissing him hard, his hands gripping his wrists so hard that they hurt. Stiles grunts but enthusiastically kisses back, legs gripping Derek's waist to pull his hips up and against Derek's body, trying to get some friction on his cock that's filling fast. Derek makes a quiet growl against Stiles' mouth and moves his arms until they're both above Stiles' head and grips both his wrists in one strong hand.

Stiles moves his head to the side to breathe for a second but Derek doesn't stop kissing, trails his lips over Stiles' cheek, his chin, and down to his neck where he sucks harsh bruises into the soft, sensitive skin there.

"Fuck! Derek!" Stiles cries, his dick jumping in his underwear and presses his hips up harder against Derek's body.

Derek's free hand trails down Stiles' side, gripping at the curve below his ribcage before sliding his hand down over Stiles' waist and up his leg where it's hitched over his hip. For a second Stiles panics, thinking he's going to try and pry him off and he grips tighter but then Derek's hand grips his thigh and pulls it higher over his waist. Stiles groans, chest heaving as he pants in pleasure and grinds against Derek, seeking his own pleasure.

"Stiles, you drive me crazy."

"Hello pot, kettle." Stiles gasps.

Derek's hand wanders from his thigh up again and under the skirt, pushing his fingers against the elastic band of the panties against the swell of Stiles' ass and Stiles jerks before groaning loudly, muscles starting to tremble as he keeps his hips lifted off the couch cushion and his legs around Derek. Derek's hot breath against his neck makes Stiles shiver and the occasional nip and suck has him groaning.

"Please! Please, Derek, I need _something_. It's starting to hurt." Stiles pleaded.

"Stiles." Derek rumbles against his neck as if in warning and Stiles gives him an exasperated whine. "We shouldn't be doing this."

"I swear to whatever is out there that if you do not fucking finish this I am going to be beyond pissed and will come up with an appropriate and cunning consequence when I'm able to think straight." Stiles threatens. "Now fucking touch me!"

Derek snarls, there's no other word for it, and wrenches himself up into a kneeling position between Stiles' legs and lets go of his hands. Stiles promptly grabs his shoulders but they're swatted away and he takes the hint to keep his grabby hands to himself as Derek uses his other hand and grasps the band of his underwear. There's a loud tearing noise and Stiles gasps as his rock hard cock is finally freed from the underwear that are now in tatters and are thrown off to the side.

"Those were nice. You didn't have to rip them. They're not even mine!"

"Shut up Stiles." Derek growls and the command in his voice is so prominent that Stiles immediately shuts his mouth, arousal pouring through him.

Stiles grabs one of the couch pillows and stuffs it behind his head so he can see what Derek's doing without straining his neck and groans as he watches Derek unbutton, unzip, and push down the front of his jeans. There's an incredible length pushing at the confines of his underwear and Stiles can't swallow the high pitched keen that makes it out of his mouth. Derek's eyes are locked on him and the intensity of them has Stiles writhing in his lap.

Finally, he pushes the elastic of his boxers down over his dick and Stiles' mouth waters immediately and his cock lets out another rush of precum. Derek's nostrils flare and his eyes dart down to Stiles' cock and finally, _finally_, he wraps a firm hand around Stiles' dick and Stiles can't hold back the loud groan and buck of his hips as his dick is finally touched by someone other than himself.

There's a whispered, "_fuck_," and Stiles doesn't know who it comes from but he completely agrees. The hand on him is so perfect, hot and strong, dominant in every way as it handles him expertly. Derek shifts and Stiles opens his eyes again, not realizing he'd shut them in the first place, and sees Derek line up his cock against Stiles and there's no holding back the litany of curses and breathless moans as Derek starts pumping them together.

"Derek! Derek, Derek, feels…" Stiles breaks off into another moan and the fist around them starts moving fast, just this side of painful in its dry slide.

Stiles' hips start punching up into Derek's grip and Derek sets one hand on Stiles' hip to steady him as he leans over farther, attaching his mouth to Stiles' collarbone and that last suck, the sharp nip of Derek's teeth has Stiles crying out loudly and spilling into Derek's fist. The cum immediately slicks the slide between the two cocks and Derek grunts as his hand speeds up. It's just starting to get uncomfortably painful with his oversensitivity when Derek stills and cums, body clenching and arching over Stiles' prone body. Stiles' feels the burning hot liquid spill over his dick and some lands on the skin around his pelvis and if he could he'd cum again from the absolutely beautiful look of bliss on Derek's slack face.

They stay like that for several long, lovely minutes before Stiles grimaces at the gross feeling of cum growing tacky and drying out on his skin. Gently he rests a hand on Derek's shoulder and wriggles a little until he's face to face with Derek and leans up to give him a chaste kiss on his soft lips.

"That was the most amazing thing to ever happen to me." Stiles confesses breathily before pecking him one more time. "Now we have to clean up." He groans.

Derek lifts himself up off of Stiles without a word and tucks himself back into his pants, careless about his cum covered hand. Stiles gets up slower, still a little weak from his mind-blowing orgasm.

"I…uh, you should shower."

Stiles stares at Derek like he'd just said that sentence in Chinese before shaking his head.

"That is so not going to fly anymore. No more avoidance. This is happening here and now and it's going to keep happening because I have fallen for you so hard and you are a masochistic bitch who needs to stop torturing himself. Now get your ass into my bathroom." Stiles commands boldly.

Derek just stands there and stares at him with slightly surprised eyes before sighing and shaking his head. Stiles swears he can see the faintest traces of a smile and happily scoops up the ruined underwear and follows after Derek as he does as he's told.

**A/N: Ermahgersh! Smut, smut, smutty, smut! Finally! Happy days are here mah friends! Things should pick up a bit from here on out, hopefully. Unless a plot virus invades my story but so far that's not in the foreseeable future. I'm trying to keep the story consistent but I usually write at around 1-6am and I don't remember fine details so if there are any inconsistencies then pleaaaaaaaaase tell me! I will fix it immediately!**

**Thank yalls so, so much for all the lovely comments and the lerv I receive! Even if you don't have lerv to send my way I still appreciate every single thing yalls have to say. I'm really sorry to everyone who is confused about or offended by my writing, I try not to mess up too badly but sometimes terrible chapters happen. So, sorry. ~hearts~**


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